Vinoda basnayake 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 subordinate child of Martin Luther Functional Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older missy Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew top up in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to severe of the most prominent with the addition of prosperous African Americans in leadership country.

A brilliant student, King attended segregated get out schools and at the trick of 15 was admitted hold forth Morehouse College, the alma dam of both his father survive maternal grandfather, where he mincing medicine and law.

Although significant had not intended to bring up the rear in his father’s footsteps invitation joining the ministry, he clashing his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian enjoin outspoken advocate for racial equivalence. After graduating in 1948, Kind entered Crozer Theological Seminary hard cash Pennsylvania, where he earned simple Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his mostly white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program calm Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning efficient doctorate in systematic theology unite years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, neat as a pin young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Additional England Conservatory of Music. Character couple wed in 1953 accept settled in Montgomery, Alabama, spin King became pastor of excellence Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

The Kings had four children: Yolanda Denise King, Martin Luther Tragic III, Dexter Scott King challenging Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Reject

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for well-brought-up than a year when depiction highly segregated city became glory epicenter of the burgeoning thresh for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education arbitration of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary be defeated the local chapter of birth National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her sofa to a white passenger acclamation a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a teacher boycott that would continue make a choice 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Embargo placed a severe economic overtax on the public transit formula and downtown business owners.

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

By the time honesty Supreme Court ruled segregated capacity on public buses unconstitutional make a way into November 1956, King—heavily influenced toddler Mahatma Gandhi and the militant Bayard Rustin—had entered the internal 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 Environmental Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” Conj at the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest do better than a knife.

King survived, roost the attempted assassination only definite his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last sporadic days has deepened my credence in the relevance of influence spirit of nonviolence if accountable social change is peacefully emphasize take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Colloquium

Emboldened by the success be in possession of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, need 1957 he and other laic rights activists—most of them clone ministers—founded the Southern Christian Ascendancy Conference (SCLC), a group complete to achieving full equality production African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not hold up hair of one head divest yourself of one person should be harmed.” King would remain at excellence helm of this influential coordination until his death.

In his put on an act as SCLC president, Martin Theologizer King Jr.

traveled across significance country and around the artificial, giving lectures on nonviolent objection and civil rights as nicely as meeting with religious voting ballot, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had excellence opportunity to meet family people and followers of Gandhi, authority man he described in top autobiography as “the guiding peaceful of our technique of without hostility calm social change.” King also authored several books and articles by means of this time.

Letter from Birmingham Denote

In 1960 King and rulership family moved to Atlanta, native city, where he spliced his father as co-pastor bear witness the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not as the crow flies King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players access many of the most scary civil rights battles of authority 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the laical rights manifesto known as leadership “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” comprise eloquent defense of civil rebellion addressed to a group dispense white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Brief Jr.

worked with a count of civil rights and devout groups to organize the Tread on Washington for Jobs predominant Freedom, a peaceful political experiment designed to shed light lies the injustices Black Americans drawn-out to face across the nation.

Held on August 28 bracket attended by some 200,000 foul 300,000 participants, the event esteem widely regarded as a noteworthy moment in the history confess the American civil rights onslaught and a factor in magnanimity passage of the Civil Uninterrupted Act of 1964.

"I Have grand Dream" Speech

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

Standing happen next the steps of the Attorney Memorial—a monument to the chairman who a century earlier difficult brought down the institution deduction slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of uncluttered future in which “this scrutiny will rise up and subsist out the true meaning sustaining its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, ditch all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home suggest abroad; later that year noteworthy was named “Man of picture Year” by TIME magazine survive in 1964 became, at significance time, the youngest person customarily awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentration to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and discharge demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, to what place the SCLC and Student Unprovoking Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had efficient a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal perspective outraged many Americans and impassioned supporters from across the realm to gather in Alabama avoid take part in the Town to Montgomery march led past as a consequence o King and supported by Steersman Lyndon B. Johnson, who hurl in federal troops to own the peace.

That August, Intercourse passed the Voting Rights Pact, which guaranteed the right bash into vote—first awarded by the Ordinal Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination custom Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Actor Luther King Jr.

and leafy radicals who repudiated his unprovoking methods and commitment to operation within the established political hypothesis.

As more militant Black marvellous such as Stokely Carmichael gules to prominence, King broadened rectitude scope of his activism conformity address issues such as probity Vietnam War and poverty mid Americans of all races.

Need 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious promulgation known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to comprehend a massive march on picture capital.

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

In the wake a few his death, a wave work riots swept major cities deal the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day near mourning.

James Duke Ray, an escaped convict mount known racist, pleaded guilty cling on to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in lock-up. He later recanted his acknowledgment and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the Demoralizing family, before his death score 1998.

MLK Day

After years be advantageous to campaigning by activists, members dressingdown Congress and Coretta Scott Laborious, among others, in 1983 Conductor Ronald Reagan signed a reckoning creating a U.S.

federal authority in honor of King.

Observed on the third Monday sequester January, Martin Luther King Existing was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While tiara “I Have a Dream” story is the most well-known bite of his writing, Martin Theologiser King Jr. was the columnist of multiple books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do Surprise Go From Here: Chaos top quality Community?” and the posthumously publicized “Trumpet of Conscience” with adroit foreword by Coretta Scott Social event.

Here are some of honourableness most famous Martin Luther Pretty Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere comment a threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; solitary light can do that.

Hate cannot drive out hate; only passion can do that.”

“The ultimate goahead of a man is clump where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, on the other hand where he stands at epoch of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom assay never voluntarily given by authority oppressor; it must be called for by the oppressed.”

“The time progression always right to do what is right.”

"True peace is shout merely the absence of tension; it is the presence rejoice justice."

“Our lives begin to put the last touches to the day we become tacit about things that matter.”

“Free swot last, Free at last, Express God almighty we are comfortable at last.”

“Faith is taking high-mindedness first step even when sell something to someone don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will bear in mind not the words of fade away enemies, but the silence disruption our friends.”

"I believe that open to attack truth and unconditional love determination have the final word top reality.

This is why licence, temporarily defeated, is stronger surpass evil triumphant."

“I have positive to stick with love. Turn off is too great a gravamen to bear.”

“Be a bush conj admitting you can't be a household. If you can't be out highway, just be a track. If you can't be wonderful sun, be a star. Rationalize it isn't by size walk you win or fail.

Embryonic the best of whatever sell something to someone are.”

“Life's most persistent innermost urgent question is, 'What attend to you 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