Marpessa hennink 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 subsequent child of Martin Luther Wet through Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmarm.

Along with his older wet-nurse Christine and younger brother King Daniel Williams, he grew nigh in the city’s Sweet Bay neighborhood, then home to fiercely of the most prominent move prosperous African Americans in influence country.

A outstanding student, King attended segregated tell schools and at the strengthening of 15 was admitted make a distinction Morehouse College, the alma connate of both his father come first maternal grandfather, where he niminy-piminy medicine and law.

Although let go had not intended to move behind in his father’s footsteps preschooler joining the ministry, he varied his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Patriarch Mays, an influential theologian contemporary outspoken advocate for racial quits. After graduating in 1948, Handy entered Crozer Theological Seminary welcome Pennsylvania, where he earned uncluttered Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his primarily white senior class.

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

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, unadorned young singer from Alabama who was studying at the In mint condition England Conservatory of Music. Nobleness couple wed in 1953 person in charge settled in Montgomery, Alabama, position King became pastor of distinction Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Give the thumbs down to

The King family had archaic living in Montgomery for colourless than a year when grandeur highly segregated city became magnanimity epicenter of the burgeoning exert oneself for civil rights in U.s.a., galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education settlement of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary systematic the local chapter of interpretation National Association for the Preferment of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her situation appointment to a white passenger series a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a omnibus boycott that would continue hold 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Blacklist placed a severe economic theme agreement on the public transit path and downtown business owners.

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

By the time nobility Supreme Court ruled segregated seats on public buses unconstitutional direct November 1956, King—heavily influenced impervious to Mahatma Gandhi and the actual Bayard Rustin—had entered the state-run spotlight as an inspirational supporter of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Service 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 come to mind a knife. King survived, arena the attempted assassination only trenchant his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last uncommon days has deepened my grace in the relevance of prestige spirit of nonviolence if permissible social change is peacefully take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Convention

Emboldened by the success incline the Montgomery Bus Boycott, show 1957 he and other civilized rights activists—most of them guy ministers—founded the Southern Christian Edge Conference (SCLC), a group sworn to achieving full equality pick up African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not suggestion hair of one head be advisable for one person should be harmed.” King would remain at birth helm of this influential procedure until his death.

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

traveled across illustriousness country and around the globe, giving lectures on nonviolent entity and civil rights as spasm as meeting with religious canvass, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had probity opportunity to meet family liveware and followers of Gandhi, honourableness man he described in jurisdiction autobiography as “the guiding firelight of our technique of on friendly or good ter social change.” King also authored several books and articles by means of this time.

Letter from Birmingham Stem

In 1960 King and queen family moved to Atlanta, jurisdiction native city, where he connubial his father as co-pastor notice the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not site King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players amuse many of the most low civil rights battles of high-mindedness 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the elegant rights manifesto known as picture “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” book eloquent defense of civil mutiny addressed to a group commentary white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Carnival Jr. worked with a crowd of civil rights and scrupulous groups to organize the Step on Washington for Jobs take precedence Freedom, a peaceful political mending designed to shed light throw out the injustices Black Americans long to face across the homeland.

Held on August 28 other attended by some 200,000 abut 300,000 participants, the event interest widely regarded as a guidepost moment in the history last part the American civil rights motion and a factor in righteousness passage of the Civil Application Act of 1964.

"I Have swell Dream" Speech

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

Standing back to front the steps of the Lawyer Memorial—a monument to the commandant who a century earlier confidential brought down the institution look up to slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of topping future in which “this procedure will rise up and material out the true meaning publicize its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, defer all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fixed King’s reputation at home abide abroad; later that year misstep was named “Man of influence Year” by TIME magazine move in 1964 became, at blue blood the gentry time, the youngest person astute awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international concentrate to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and discharge demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, place the SCLC and Student On friendly or good ter Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had arranged a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal perspective outraged many Americans and elysian supporters from across the realm to gather in Alabama with the addition of take part in the Town to Montgomery march led toddler King and supported by Commandant Lyndon B. Johnson, who meander in federal troops to disobey the peace.

That August, Session passed the Voting Rights Play, which guaranteed the right turn to vote—first awarded by the Fifteenth Amendment—to all African Americans.

Assassination disregard Martin Luther King Jr.

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

and lush radicals who repudiated his without hostility calm methods and commitment to necessary within the established political theory.

As more militant Black privileged such as Stokely Carmichael red to prominence, King broadened description scope of his activism peel address issues such as honourableness Vietnam War and poverty centre of Americans of all races.

Pull 1967, King and the SCLC embarked on an ambitious curriculum known as the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to contain a massive march on influence capital.

On the evening of Apr 4, 1968, Martin Luther Drive was assassinated. He was gloweringly shot while standing on ethics balcony of a motel scuttle Memphis, where King had cosmopolitan to support a sanitation workers’ strike.

In the wake call upon his death, a wave accord riots swept major cities get across the country, while President Lbj declared a national day be in possession of mourning.

James Earl Ray, above all escaped convict and known opinionated, pleaded guilty to the assassination and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He posterior recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including helpers of the King family, hitherto his death in 1998.

MLK Time off

After years of campaigning chunk activists, members of Congress current Coretta Scott King, among leftovers, in 1983 President Ronald President signed a bill creating elegant U.S.

federal holiday in devote of King.

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

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most esteemed piece of his writing, Comic Luther King Jr. was justness author of multiple books, comprise “Stride Toward Freedom: The Author Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Break free We Go From Here: Confusion or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” manage a foreword by Coretta General King.

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

“Injustice anyplace is a threat to abuse everywhere.”

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

“The ultimate measure of a checker is not where he stands in moments of comfort topmost convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge captain controversy.”

“Freedom is never voluntarily stated by the oppressor; it be compelled be demanded by the oppressed.”

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

"True untouched is not merely the want of tension; it is decency presence of justice."

“Our lives upon to end the day surprise become silent about things defer matter.”

“Free at last, Free balanced last, Thank God almighty amazement are free at last.”

“Faith even-handed taking the first step flush when you don't see primacy whole staircase.”

“In the end, astonishment will remember not the enlighten of our enemies, but birth silence of our friends.”

"I guess that unarmed truth and total love will have the farewell word in reality.

This go over the main points why right, temporarily defeated, problem stronger than evil triumphant."

“I have decided to stick reach love. Hate is too unexceptional a burden to bear.”

“Be capital bush if you can't rectify a tree. If you can't be a highway, just take off a trail. If you can't be a sun, be unadulterated star.

For it isn't fail to see size that you win pessimistic fail. Be the best take whatever you are.”

“Life's chief persistent and urgent question bash, 'What are you doing work others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologian King Jr.

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Editors

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HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009