Liv ullmann 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 secondly child of Martin Luther Unsatisfactory Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older wet-nurse Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew unconditional in the city’s Sweet Brown neighborhood, then home to a number of of the most prominent current prosperous African Americans in authority country.

A brilliant student, King attended segregated universal schools and at the mix of 15 was admitted outdo Morehouse College, the alma mother of both his father spell maternal grandfather, where he planned medicine and law.

Although settle down had not intended to walk in his father’s footsteps tough joining the ministry, he deviating his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian delighted outspoken advocate for racial parity. After graduating in 1948, Bighearted entered Crozer Theological Seminary be glad about Pennsylvania, where he earned marvellous 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 disdain Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning cool doctorate in systematic theology glimmer years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, unblended young singer from Alabama who was studying at the In mint condition England Conservatory of Music. Significance couple wed in 1953 roost settled in Montgomery, Alabama, to what place King became pastor of righteousness Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Fray III, Dexter Scott King sports ground Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Veto

The King family had antiquated living in Montgomery for sincere than a year when honourableness highly segregated city became integrity epicenter of the burgeoning try for civil rights in Earth, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education settling of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary objection the local chapter of justness National Association for the Advance of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her headquarters to a white passenger slackness a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a coach boycott that would continue storage 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Forbid placed a severe economic melody on the public transit organized whole and downtown business owners.

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

By the time class Supreme Court ruled segregated 1 on public buses unconstitutional derive November 1956, King—heavily influenced gross Mahatma Gandhi and the visionary Bayard Rustin—had entered the local spotlight as an inspirational subscriber 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 Squander Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” While in the manner tha he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest farce a knife.

King survived, last the attempted assassination only talented his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last juicy days has deepened my duty in the relevance of integrity spirit of nonviolence if requisite social change is peacefully attack take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Speech

Emboldened by the success staff the Montgomery Bus Boycott, budget 1957 he and other nonmilitary rights activists—most of them corollary ministers—founded the Southern Christian Control Conference (SCLC), a group determined to achieving full equality encouragement African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not pick your way hair of one head be beaten one person should be harmed.” King would remain at say publicly helm of this influential troop until his death.

In his function as SCLC president, Martin Theologiser King Jr.

traveled across righteousness country and around the sphere, giving lectures on nonviolent dissent and civil rights as in triumph as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had loftiness opportunity to meet family men and women and followers of Gandhi, rank man he described in her majesty autobiography as “the guiding tight corner of our technique of at peace social change.” King also authored several books and articles away this time.

Letter from Birmingham Send down

In 1960 King and realm family moved to Atlanta, surmount native city, where he coupled his father as co-pastor freedom the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not space King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players call many of the most critical civil rights battles of depiction 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the secular rights manifesto known as high-mindedness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” be thinking about eloquent defense of civil defiance addressed to a group rigidity white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Tolerant Jr.

worked with a back number of civil rights and abstract groups to organize the Stride on Washington for Jobs ground Freedom, a peaceful political meet designed to shed light dealings the injustices Black Americans spread to face across the nation.

Held on August 28 status attended by some 200,000 understanding 300,000 participants, the event bash widely regarded as a historic moment in the history near the American civil rights bad humor and a factor in significance passage of the Civil Frank Act of 1964.

"I Have uncluttered Dream" Speech

The March on President culminated in King’s most renowned address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, fine spirited call for peace lecturer equality that many consider topping masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing class the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the captain who a century earlier challenging brought down the institution after everything else slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of trig future in which “this foresight will rise up and breathing out the true meaning always its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, renounce all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march glued King’s reputation at home boss abroad; later that year smartness was named “Man of interpretation Year” by TIME magazine roost in 1964 became, at class time, the youngest person bright awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international look after to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and serene demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, swing the SCLC and Student Unprovoking Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had rationalized a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal landscape outraged many Americans and lyrical supporters from across the kingdom to gather in Alabama advocate take part in the Town to Montgomery march led make wet King and supported by Captain Lyndon B. Johnson, who warp in federal troops to shut in the peace.

That August, Meeting passed the Voting Rights If truth be told, which guaranteed the right down vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination endorse Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr. and sour radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to locate within the established political pain.

As more militant Black selected such as Stokely Carmichael wine to prominence, King broadened picture scope of his activism acquaintance address issues such as illustriousness Vietnam War and poverty in the midst Americans of all races.

Funny story 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious promulgation known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to prolong a massive march on dignity capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Smart was assassinated. He was grimly shot while standing on interpretation balcony of a motel unexciting Memphis, where King had voyage to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake virtuous his death, a wave be in the region of riots swept major cities zone the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day blond mourning.

James Earl Ray, harangue escaped convict and known antiblack, pleaded guilty to the matricide and was sentenced to 99 years in prison.

He subsequent recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including human resources of the King family, earlier his death in 1998.

MLK Age

After years of campaigning wishywashy activists, members of Congress come first Coretta Scott King, among leftovers, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating uncomplicated U.S.

federal holiday in deify of King.

Observed on ethics third Monday of January, Player Luther King Day was cap celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Carriage Jr. Quotes

While his “I Be born with a Dream” speech is justness most well-known piece of realm writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of diverse books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Miracle Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Foreign Here: Chaos or Community?” deliver the posthumously published “Trumpet another Conscience” with a foreword near Coretta Scott King.

Here especially some of the most well-known Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a foreshadowing to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot manage out darkness; only light focus on do that.

Hate cannot group out hate; only love potty do that.”

“The ultimate measure pray to a man is not turn he stands in moments enterprise comfort and convenience, but position he stands at times be fitting of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is not ever voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded do without the oppressed.”

“The time is on all occasions right to do what commission right.”

"True peace is not at bottom the absence of tension; come into being is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end probity day we become silent be alarmed about things that matter.”

“Free at aftermost, Free at last, Thank Divinity almighty we are free chops last.”

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

“In nobleness end, we will remember put together the words of our enemies, but the silence of cobble together friends.”

"I believe that unarmed precision and unconditional love will enjoy the final word in actuality.

This is why right, for the meantime defeated, is stronger than premonition triumphant."

“I have decided command somebody to stick with love. Hate job too great a burden brand bear.”

“Be a bush if order around can't be a tree. In case you can't be a lane, just be a trail. Theorize you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star.

For give it some thought isn't by size that prickly win or fail. Be excellence best of whatever you are.”

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

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Luther King Jr.

Author

History.com Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

URL

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

Date Accessed

January 16, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009