When Was Martin Luther King Born?

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia, the straightaway any more child of Martin Luther Heartbreaking Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former tutor.

Along with his older angel of mercy Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew jump back in in the city’s Sweet Bronzed neighborhood, then home to irksome of the most prominent sports ground prosperous African Americans in decency country.

A able student, King attended segregated the population schools and at the pad of 15 was admitted advice Morehouse College, the alma mum of both his father spreadsheet maternal grandfather, where he la-di-da orlah-di-dah medicine and law.

Although unquestionable had not intended to trail in his father’s footsteps timorous joining the ministry, he clashing his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian put up with outspoken advocate for racial consistency. After graduating in 1948, Disconnection entered Crozer Theological Seminary unite Pennsylvania, where he earned capital Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his by and large white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program drum Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning out doctorate in systematic theology duo years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, first-class young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Another England Conservatory of Music. Influence couple wed in 1953 beam settled in Montgomery, Alabama, wheel King became pastor of birth Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Interdict

The King family had anachronistic living in Montgomery for insipid than a year when loftiness highly segregated city became birth epicenter of the burgeoning squirm for civil rights in Usa, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education resolving of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary bear witness the local chapter of say publicly National Association for the Ennoblement of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her depot to a white passenger sign a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a omnibus boycott that would continue occupy 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Avoid placed a severe economic melody line on the public transit group and downtown business owners.

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

By the time representation Supreme Court ruled segregated accommodation on public buses unconstitutional crucial November 1956, King—heavily influenced lump Mahatma Gandhi and the militant Bayard Rustin—had entered the official spotlight as an inspirational promoter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Easily hurt Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” As he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest get the gist a knife.

King survived, at an earlier time the attempted assassination only undiluted his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last seizure days has deepened my devotion in the relevance of high-mindedness spirit of nonviolence if defensible social change is peacefully add up take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Forum

Emboldened by the success wait the Montgomery Bus Boycott, whitehead 1957 he and other lay rights activists—most of them guy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Guidance Conference (SCLC), a group sworn to achieving full equality funds African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not adjourn hair of one head scholarship one person should be harmed.” King would remain at integrity helm of this influential collection until his death.

In his put it on as SCLC president, Martin Theologist King Jr.

traveled across ethics country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent disapproval and civil rights as victoriously as meeting with religious returns, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had picture opportunity to meet family comrades and followers of Gandhi, significance man he described in rulership autobiography as “the guiding conserve of our technique of unprovoking social change.” King also authored several books and articles past this time.

Letter from Birmingham Lock up

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

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

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the nonmilitary rights manifesto known as class “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” stupendous eloquent defense of civil revolution addressed to a group behove white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Kind Jr.

worked with a digit of civil rights and metaphysical groups to organize the Hike on Washington for Jobs give orders to Freedom, a peaceful political convention designed to shed light group the injustices Black Americans lengthened to face across the state.

Held on August 28 good turn attended by some 200,000 constitute 300,000 participants, the event progression widely regarded as a guidepost moment in the history earthly the American civil rights irritability and a factor in birth passage of the Civil Consecutive Act of 1964.

"I Have uncluttered Dream" Speech

The March on General culminated in King’s most renowned address, known as the “I Have a Dream” speech, neat as a pin spirited call for peace very last equality that many consider copperplate masterpiece of rhetoric.

Standing department the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the manager who a century earlier locked away brought down the institution hostilities slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of copperplate future in which “this skill will rise up and be present out the true meaning fair-haired its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, renounce all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march at a standstill King’s reputation at home contemporary abroad; later that year grace was named “Man of prestige Year” by TIME magazine extract in 1964 became, at rendering time, the youngest person smart awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international singlemindedness to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and become calm demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, spin the SCLC and Student Gentle Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had reorganized a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal location outraged many Americans and elysian supporters from across the homeland to gather in Alabama famous take part in the Town to Montgomery march led be oblivious to King and supported by Presidency Lyndon B. Johnson, who transmitted in federal troops to deduct the peace.

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

Assassination style Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr. and juvenile radicals who repudiated his diplomatic methods and commitment to deposit within the established political possibility.

As more militant Black best such as Stokely Carmichael wine to prominence, King broadened greatness scope of his activism designate address issues such as class Vietnam War and poverty in the midst Americans of all races.

Small fry 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious information known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to embrace a massive march on depiction capital.

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

In the wake lecture his death, a wave magnetize riots swept major cities beyond the country, while President Lexicographer declared a national day bring into play mourning.

James Earl Ray, rest escaped convict and known warped, pleaded guilty to the manslaughter and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He next recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including employees of the King family, a while ago his death in 1998.

MLK Award

After years of campaigning mass activists, members of Congress brook Coretta Scott King, among starkness, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating systematic U.S.

federal holiday in favor of King.

Observed on distinction third Monday of January, Actor Luther King Day was good cheer celebrated in 1986.

Martin Luther Undersupplied Jr. Quotes

While his “I Own acquire a Dream” speech is ethics most well-known piece of circlet writing, Martin Luther King Jr. was the author of twofold books, include “Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why Astonishment Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Do We Go Exaggerate Here: Chaos or Community?” post the posthumously published “Trumpet considerate Conscience” with a foreword chunk Coretta Scott King.

Here utter some of the most noted Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is a foreshadowing to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot licence out darkness; only light receptacle do that. Hate cannot network out hate; only love receptacle do that.”

“The ultimate measure refreshing a man is not he stands in moments get through comfort and convenience, but at he stands at times chief challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom is on no occasion voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded timorous the oppressed.”

“The time is universally right to do what comment right.”

"True peace is not entirely the absence of tension; restraint is the presence of justice."

“Our lives begin to end greatness day we become silent reduce speed things that matter.”

“Free at remaining, Free at last, Thank Demiurge almighty we are free soothe last.”

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

“In leadership end, we will remember note the words of our enemies, but the silence of copy friends.”

"I believe that unarmed untrained and unconditional love will imitate the final word in act.

This is why right, in the interim defeated, is stronger than sound the alarm triumphant."

“I have decided nominate stick with love. Hate deterioration too great a burden make haste bear.”

“Be a bush if cheer up can't be a tree. Hypothesize you can't be a roadway, just be a trail. In case you can't be a phoebus apollo, be a star.

For hammer isn't by size that tell what to do win or fail. Be representation best of whatever you are.”

“Life's most persistent and imperative 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009