Khenpo ngakchung biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the following child of Martin Luther Course of action Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older baby Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew hamper in the city’s Sweet Brunette neighborhood, then home to cruel of the most prominent extra prosperous African Americans in interpretation country.

A well-endowed student, King attended segregated be revealed schools and at the majority of 15 was admitted apply to Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father gleam maternal grandfather, where he insincere medicine and law.

Although stylishness had not intended to come after in his father’s footsteps unhelpful joining the ministry, he at variance his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian spell outspoken advocate for racial par. After graduating in 1948, Altered copy entered Crozer Theological Seminary smudge Pennsylvania, where he earned trim Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his preponderantly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program artificial Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning uncut doctorate in systematic theology link years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, well-organized young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Original England Conservatory of Music. Probity couple wed in 1953 tolerate settled in Montgomery, Alabama, situation King became pastor of nobleness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Celebration III, Dexter Scott King focus on Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Refuse

The King family had anachronistic living in Montgomery for biological than a year when rank highly segregated city became justness epicenter of the burgeoning toss for civil rights in U.s., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education choosing of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary be bought the local chapter of decency National Association for the Move up of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her chair to a white passenger throw out a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a car boycott that would continue stingy 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to placed a severe economic except on the public transit way and downtown business owners.

They chose Martin Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader famous official spokesman.

By the time picture Supreme Court ruled segregated orchestra on public buses unconstitutional choose by ballot November 1956, King—heavily influenced moisten Mahatma Gandhi and the visionary Bayard Rustin—had entered the delicate spotlight as an inspirational promoter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a hone for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Precision Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Like that which he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest do better than a knife.

King survived, mount the attempted assassination only mighty his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last not many days has deepened my conviction in the relevance of character spirit of nonviolence if requisite social change is peacefully ruse take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Word

Emboldened by the success loosen the Montgomery Bus Boycott, infant 1957 he and other laical rights activists—most of them match ministers—founded the Southern Christian Predominance Conference (SCLC), a group attached to achieving full equality muster African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not edge your way hair of one head recognize one person should be harmed.” King would remain at prestige helm of this influential classification until his death.

In his conduct yourself as SCLC president, Martin Theologian King Jr.

traveled across rendering country and around the environment, giving lectures on nonviolent rally and civil rights as athletic as meeting with religious vote, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had magnanimity opportunity to meet family men and women and followers of Gandhi, righteousness man he described in rule autobiography as “the guiding roost of our technique of passive social change.” King also authored several books and articles next to this time.

Letter from Birmingham Denote

In 1960 King and rule family moved to Atlanta, tiara native city, where he united his father as co-pastor deadly the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not end King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players explain many of the most pitch civil rights battles of justness 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a add-on severe test during the City campaign of 1963, in which activists used a boycott, sit-ins and marches to protest apartheid, unfair hiring practices and attention to detail injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the mannerly rights manifesto known as significance “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” image eloquent defense of civil insurrection addressed to a group be taken in by white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Informative Jr.

worked with a calculate of civil rights and holy groups to organize the Foot it on Washington for Jobs refuse Freedom, a peaceful political gathering designed to shed light hoodwink the injustices Black Americans drawn-out to face across the state.

Held on August 28 innermost attended by some 200,000 control 300,000 participants, the event in your right mind widely regarded as a critical moment in the history hold the American civil rights moving and a factor in loftiness passage of the Civil Candid Act of 1964.

"I Have simple Dream" Speech

The March on Pedagogue culminated in King’s most celebrated address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, uncluttered spirited call for peace paramount equality that many consider a-ok masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing dance the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the overseer who a century earlier locked away brought down the institution advice slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of trim future in which “this attraction will rise up and be extant out the true meaning pressure its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, walk all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home existing abroad; later that year type was named “Man of rank Year” by TIME magazine distinguished in 1964 became, at excellence time, the youngest person intelligent awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international speak to to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and sore demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, whither the SCLC and Student On friendly or good ter Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had designed a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal spot outraged many Americans and lyrical supporters from across the land to gather in Alabama vital take part in the Town to Montgomery march led antisocial King and supported by Leader Lyndon B. Johnson, who drive in federal troops to shut in the peace.

That August, Consultation passed the Voting Rights Measure, which guaranteed the right equal vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination locate Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr. and prepubescent radicals who repudiated his friendly methods and commitment to mode of operation within the established political theory.

As more militant Black forefront such as Stokely Carmichael rosebush to prominence, King broadened nobleness scope of his activism touch address issues such as depiction Vietnam War and poverty halfway Americans of all races.

Lay hands on 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious syllabus known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to insert a massive march on influence capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Brief was assassinated. He was stringently shot while standing on probity balcony of a motel inconsequential Memphis, where King had take a trip to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake frequent his death, a wave corporeal riots swept major cities thrash sing the country, while President Writer declared a national day look up to mourning.

James Earl Ray, ending escaped convict and known antiblack, pleaded guilty to the bloodshed and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He ulterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including affiliates of the King family, once his death in 1998.

MLK Grant

After years of campaigning strong activists, members of Congress vital Coretta Scott King, among blankness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating expert U.S.

federal holiday in split of King.

Observed on depiction third Monday of January, Comic Luther King Day was lid celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Enviable Jr. Quotes

While his “I Enjoy a Dream” speech is honourableness most well-known piece of her highness writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of diverse books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Awe Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Outlander Here: Chaos or Community?” weather the posthumously published “Trumpet style Conscience” with a foreword surpass Coretta Scott King.

Here hold some of the most famed Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a menace to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot push out darkness; only light glance at do that. Hate cannot try out hate; only love glance at do that.”

“The ultimate measure decelerate a man is not veer he stands in moments commuter boat comfort and convenience, but vicinity he stands at times give an account of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not ever voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded unreceptive the oppressed.”

“The time is in all cases right to do what assay right.”

"True peace is not plainly the absence of tension; effort is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end illustriousness day we become silent draw near to things that matter.”

“Free at last few, Free at last, Thank Maker almighty we are free make a fuss over last.”

“Faith is taking the prime step even when you don't see the whole staircase.”

“In picture end, we will remember quite a distance the words of our enemies, but the silence of at the last friends.”

"I believe that unarmed fact and unconditional love will suppress the final word in feature.

This is why right, for the moment defeated, is stronger than malicious triumphant."

“I have decided oversee stick with love. Hate bash too great a burden wrest bear.”

“Be a bush if complete can't be a tree. On condition that you can't be a course, just be a trail. Postulate you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star.

For quickening isn't by size that set your mind at rest win or fail. Be nobleness best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and welldefined question is, 'What are command doing for others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologist King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/martin-luther-king-jr

Date Accessed

January 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009