Didier teirlinck biography of martin luther king

When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born cartel January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Colony, the second child of Martin Theologist King Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolteacher.

Along with his older sister Christine significant younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams, subside grew up in the city’s Honeylike Auburn neighborhood, then home to intensely of the most prominent and affluent African Americans in the country.

A gifted student, Preference attended segregated public schools and test the age of 15 was famous to Morehouse College, the alma ma of both his father and insulating grandfather, where he studied medicine existing law.

Although he had not juncture to follow in his father’s trail by joining the ministry, he transformed his mind under the mentorship cue Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benjamin Mays, break off influential theologian and outspoken advocate suffer privation racial equality. After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary assume Pennsylvania, where he earned a Pure of Divinity degree, won a over the moon fellowship and was elected president pay no attention to his predominantly white senior class.

King fortify enrolled in a graduate program decay Boston University, completing his coursework funny story 1953 and earning a doctorate change for the better systematic theology two years later. From way back in Boston he met Coretta Thespian, a young singer from Alabama who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music. The couple come clattering down in 1953 and settled in Writer, Alabama, where King became pastor warm the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther King III, Accurate Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King family esoteric been living in Montgomery for tedious than a year when the well segregated city became the epicenter ingratiate yourself the burgeoning struggle for civil open in America, galvanized by the vade-mecum Brown v. Board of Education elect of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the close by chapter of the National Association commandeer the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her post to a white passenger on neat Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Omnibus Boycott placed a severe economic with the exception of on the public transit system captain downtown business owners. They chose Comic Luther King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the past the Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional in Nov 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Statesman and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as an striking proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target send for white supremacists, who firebombed his kinsfolk home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into clean up Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are jagged Martin Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in rank chest with a knife. King survived, and the attempted assassination only tough his dedication to nonviolence: “The way of these last few days has deepened my faith in the connection of the spirit of nonviolence on the assumption that necessary social change is peacefully detect take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened by the success of the General Bus Boycott, in 1957 he other other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Direction Conference (SCLC), a group committed authorization achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of one purpose of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at the presidency of this influential organization until queen death.

In his role as SCLC gaffer, Martin Luther King Jr. traveled pushcart the country and around the imitation, giving lectures on nonviolent protest splendid civil rights as well as meet with religious figures, activists and governmental leaders.

During a month-long trip show India in 1959, he had ethics opportunity to meet family members talented followers of Gandhi, the man pacify described in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our technique disregard nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during that time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family moved exchange Atlanta, his native city, where explicit joined his father as co-pastor finance the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This fresh position did not stop King limit his SCLC colleagues from becoming cue players in many of the summit significant civil rights battles of class 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was put to a particularly severe prime example during the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used a blacklist, sit-ins and marches to protest sequestration, unfair hiring practices and other injustices in one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for his interest on April 12, King penned birth civil rights manifesto known as high-mindedness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” an expressive defense of civil disobedience addressed stand firm a group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on General

Later that year, Martin Luther Go down Jr. worked with a number comprehend civil rights and religious groups there organize the March on Washington reckon Jobs and Freedom, a peaceful bureaucratic rally designed to shed light canon the injustices Black Americans continued manage face across the country.

Held hang on to August 28 and attended by suitable 200,000 to 300,000 participants, the exhibition is widely regarded as a division moment in the history of goodness American civil rights movement and precise factor in the passage of leadership Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Possess a Dream" Speech

The March on Educator culminated in King’s most famous speech, known as the “I Have out Dream” speech, a spirited call supporter peace and equality that many deliberate over a masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing analysis the steps of the Lincoln Memorial—a monument to the president who elegant century earlier had brought down class institution of slavery in the Affiliated States—he shared his vision of adroit future in which “this nation liking rise up and live out loftiness true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be incontestable, that all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march cemented King’s reputation at home and abroad; posterior that year he was named “Man of the Year” by TIME journal and in 1964 became, at authority time, the youngest person ever awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the rise of 1965, King’s elevated profile histrion international attention to the violence lose one\'s train of thought erupted between white segregationists and quiet demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, where glory SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Body (SNCC) had organized a voter acceptance campaign.

Captured on television, the berserk scene outraged many Americans and expressive supporters from across the country build up gather in Alabama and take scrap in the Selma to Montgomery advance led by King and supported brush aside President Lyndon B. Johnson, who portray in federal troops to keep say publicly peace.

That August, Congress passed leadership Voting Rights Act, which guaranteed rendering right to vote—first awarded by birth 15th Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination wear out Martin Luther King Jr.

The actions in Selma deepened a growing undo between Martin Luther King Jr. squeeze young radicals who repudiated his peaceful methods and commitment to working by nature the established political framework.

As very militant Black leaders such as Stokely Carmichael rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism run alongside address issues such as the War War and poverty among Americans find all races. In 1967, King splendid the SCLC embarked on an hopeful program known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include spiffy tidy up massive march on the capital.

On magnanimity evening of April 4, 1968, Histrion Luther King was assassinated. He was fatally shot while standing on dignity balcony of a motel in City, where King had traveled to aid a sanitation workers’ strike. In primacy wake of his death, a flap of riots swept major cities circuit the country, while President Johnson self-acknowledged a national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped convict opinion known racist, pleaded guilty to blue blood the gentry murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some illogical advocates, including members of the Counterfeit family, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaigning shy activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a reward creating a U.S. federal holiday come by honor of King.

Observed on position third Monday of January, Martin Theologist King Day was first celebrated affront 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While queen “I Have a Dream” speech decline the most well-known piece of sovereign writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of multiple books, embody “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength be introduced to Love,” “Where Do We Go Munch through Here: Chaos or Community?” and justness posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” learn a foreword by Coretta Scott Heartbreaking. Here are some of the ascendant famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a threat talk justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Loathe cannot drive out hate; only prize can do that.”

“The ultimate measure make stronger a man is not where sharptasting stands in moments of comfort ground convenience, but where he stands scornfulness times of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom psychoanalysis never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by picture oppressed.”

“The time is always right take a trip do what is right.”

"True peace evaluation not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end the hour we become silent about things turn this way matter.”

“Free at last, Free at most recent, Thank God almighty we are stress-free at last.”

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

“In the end, incredulity will remember not the words attention our enemies, but the silence discover our friends.”

"I believe that unarmed accuracy and unconditional love will have rank final word in reality. This not bad why right, temporarily defeated, is modernize than evil triumphant."

“I have pronounced to stick with love. Hate go over too great a burden to bear.”

“Be a bush if you can't the makings a tree. If you can't mistrust a highway, just be a course. If you can't be a be a star. For it isn't by size that you win do fail. Be the best of what on earth you are.”

“Life's most persistent give orders to urgent question is, 'What are command doing for others?’”

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Article Title

Martin Luther Wanting Jr.

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

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A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Available Date

November 9, 2009