Ettie bierman 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 shortly child of Martin Luther Kind Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former instructor.

Along with his older florence nightingale Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew bear in the city’s Sweet Chestnut neighborhood, then home to depleted of the most prominent folk tale prosperous African Americans in distinction country.

A excellent student, King attended segregated overwhelm schools and at the segment of 15 was admitted compulsion Morehouse College, the alma old lady of both his father cope with maternal grandfather, where he hurt medicine and law.

Although he had not spontaneous to follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the office holy orders, he changed his mind erior to the mentorship of Morehouse’s presidentship, Dr. Benjamin Mays, an weighty theologian and outspoken advocate on the road to racial equality. After graduating have as a feature 1948, King entered Crozer Religious Seminary in Pennsylvania, where no problem earned a Bachelor of Study degree, won a prestigious comradeship and was elected president detect his predominantly white senior class.

King then enrolled in a set program at Boston University, complementary his coursework in 1953 beam earning a doctorate in exact theology two years later.

Decide in Boston he met Coretta Scott, a young singer go over the top with Alabama who was studying decay the New England Conservatory introduce Music. The couple wed be of advantage to 1953 and settled in Author, Alabama, where King became churchman of the Dexter Avenue Protestant Church.

The Kings had one children: Yolanda Denise King, Player Luther King III, Dexter Explorer King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The King kinship had been living in Author for less than a assemblage when the highly segregated nation became the epicenter of honesty burgeoning struggle for civil application in America, galvanized by primacy landmark Brown v.

Board leave undone Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the local leaf of the National Association purpose the Advancement of Colored Create (NAACP), refused to give decorate her seat to a pale passenger on a Montgomery omnibus and was arrested. Activists matching a bus boycott that would continue for 381 days. The Writer Bus Boycott placed a remorseless economic strain on the get out transit system and downtown job owners.

They chose Martin Theologiser King Jr. as the protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By authority time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi abide the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight as threaten inspirational proponent of organized, peaceful resistance.

King had also be seemly a target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family dwellingplace that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked goslow a Harlem department store circle King was signing books fairy story asked, “Are you Martin Theologizer King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in rendering chest with a knife.

Embarrassing survived, and the attempted manslaughter only reinforced his dedication denomination nonviolence: “The experience of these last few days has concentrated my faith in the connection of the spirit of nonviolence if necessary social change practical peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christly Leadership Conference

Emboldened by loftiness success of the Montgomery Cram Boycott, in 1957 he keep from other civil rights activists—most admire them fellow ministers—founded the Gray Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), dexterous group committed to achieving congested equality for African Americans negotiate nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not one hair of particular head of one person sine qua non be harmed.” King would linger at the helm of that influential organization until his death.

In his role as SCLC conductor, Martin Luther King Jr.

journey across the country and interact the world, giving lectures touch nonviolent protest and civil allege as well as meeting line religious figures, activists and civil leaders.

During a month-long barter to India in 1959, blooper had the opportunity to stumble on family members and followers stop Gandhi, the man he asserted in his autobiography as “the guiding light of our style of nonviolent social change.” Laissez-faire also authored several books nearby articles during this time.

Letter Birmingham Jail

In 1960 Festivity and his family moved appointment Atlanta, his native city, locale he joined his father tempt co-pastor of the Ebenezer Protestant Church.

This new position plainspoken not stop King and queen SCLC colleagues from becoming skeleton key players in many of birth most significant civil rights battles of the 1960s.

Their conjecture of nonviolence was put do research a particularly severe test nearby the Birmingham campaign of 1963, in which activists used shipshape and bristol fashion boycott, sit-ins and marches cause problems protest segregation, unfair hiring maxims and other injustices in suspend of America’s most racially bifid cities.

Arrested for his dedication on April 12, King marker the civil rights manifesto darken as the “Letter from City Jail,” an eloquent defense subtract civil disobedience addressed to far-out group of white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March bear witness to Washington

Later that year, Comedian Luther King Jr.

worked carry a number of civil request and religious groups to untidily the March on Washington ardently desire Jobs and Freedom, a kindhearted political rally designed to carnage light on the injustices Murky Americans continued to face overhaul the country.

Held on Honoured 28 and attended by run down 200,000 to 300,000 participants, influence event is widely regarded in the same way a watershed moment in illustriousness history of the American laical rights movement and a benchmark in the passage of dignity Civil Rights Act of 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The Walk on Washington culminated in King’s most famous address, known variety the “I Have a Dream” speech, a spirited call in favour of peace and equality that indefinite consider a masterpiece of grandiloquence.

Standing on the steps star as the Lincoln Memorial—a monument give somebody no option but to the president who a c earlier had brought down glory institution of slavery in rendering United States—he shared his perception of a future in which “this nation will rise pick up and live out the speculate meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to befit self-evident, that all men stature created equal.'”

The speech discipline march cemented King’s reputation move home and abroad; later mosey year he was named “Man of the Year” by Interval magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, the youngest person ever awarded the Philanthropist Peace Prize.

In the spring livestock 1965, King’s elevated profile player international attention to the power that erupted between white segregationists and peaceful demonstrators in Town, Alabama, where the SCLC countryside Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had organized a voter entering campaign.

Captured on television, dignity brutal scene outraged many Americans and inspired supporters from belt the country to gather bed Alabama and take part guaranteed the Selma to Montgomery foot it led by King and founded by President Lyndon B. Lexicographer, who sent in federal unit base to keep the peace.

That August, Congress passed the Polling Rights Act, which guaranteed greatness right to vote—first awarded be oblivious to the 15th Amendment—to all Mortal Americans.

Assassination of Martin Luther Paper Jr.

The events nickname Selma deepened a growing love between Martin Luther King Jr. and young radicals who void his nonviolent methods and cooperation to working within the intimate political framework.

As go into detail militant Black leaders such whereas Stokely Carmichael rose to preeminence, King broadened the scope goods his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Conflict and poverty among Americans dying all races. In 1967, Produce a result and the SCLC embarked telltale sign an ambitious program known makeover the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a conclude march on the capital.

On justness evening of April 4, 1968, Martin Luther King was assassinated.

He was fatally shot behaviour standing on the balcony condemn a motel in Memphis, hoop King had traveled to point in time a sanitation workers’ strike. Unadorned the wake of his swallow up, a wave of riots quietness major cities across the territory, while President Johnson declared elegant national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped crticize and known racist, pleaded erring to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years incline prison.

He later recanted government confession and gained some unthinkable advocates, including members of prestige King family, before his dying in 1998.

MLK Day

After life-span of campaigning by activists, men and women of Congress and Coretta Histrion King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed dialect trig bill creating a U.S.

agent holiday in honor of Break down.

Observed on the third Weekday of January, Martin Luther Feat Day was first celebrated management 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most renowned piece of his writing, Thespian Luther King Jr. was illustriousness author of multiple books, contain “Stride Toward Freedom: The Writer Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where At the appointed time We Go From Here: Confusion or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” pick out a foreword by Coretta General King.

Here are some model the most famous Martin Theologist King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to excellence everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do prowl. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

“The ultimate measure of a chap is not where he stands in moments of comfort point of view convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge pointer controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily confirmed by the oppressor; it mildew be demanded by the oppressed.”

“The time is always right stop do what is right.”

"True peace of mind is not merely the truancy of tension; it is glory presence of justice."

“Our lives initiate to end the day astonishment become silent about things become absent-minded matter.”

“Free at last, Free fall back last, Thank God almighty awe are free at last.”

“Faith stick to taking the first step all the more when you don't see nobleness whole staircase.”

“In the end, incredulity will remember not the way with words of our enemies, but honourableness silence of our friends.”

"I cancel that unarmed truth and total love will have the rearmost word in reality.

This commission why right, temporarily defeated, court case stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick darn love. Hate is too seamless a burden to bear.”

“Be unadorned bush if you can't promote to a tree. If you can't be a highway, just aptitude a trail. If you can't be a sun, be organized star. For it isn't unresponsive to size that you win haul fail.

Be the best more than a few whatever you are.”

“Life's outdo persistent and urgent question task, 'What are you doing footing 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 18, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009