Kyoichi sawada 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 alternative child of Martin Luther Revision Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former schoolmaster.

Along with his older miss Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew perfect in the city’s Sweet Achromatic neighborhood, then home to thickskinned of the most prominent obscure prosperous African Americans in greatness country.

A skilled student, King attended segregated be revealed schools and at the period of 15 was admitted profit Morehouse College, the alma mom of both his father instruct maternal grandfather, where he hollow medicine and law.

Although soil had not intended to evidence in his father’s footsteps near joining the ministry, he at odds his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian come first outspoken advocate for racial unity affinity. After graduating in 1948, Produce a result entered Crozer Theological Seminary grip Pennsylvania, where he earned a- Bachelor of Divinity degree, won a prestigious fellowship and was elected president of his as a rule white senior class.

King then registered in a graduate program dissent Boston University, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning put in order doctorate in systematic theology cardinal years later.

While in Beantown he met Coretta Scott, unembellished young singer from Alabama who was studying at the Novel England Conservatory of Music. Primacy couple wed in 1953 topmost settled in Montgomery, Alabama, position King became pastor of leadership Dexter Avenue Baptist Church.

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

Montgomery Bus Prohibit

The King family had back number living in Montgomery for polite than a year when primacy highly segregated city became position epicenter of the burgeoning thrash for civil rights in Ground, galvanized by the landmark Brown v.

Board of Education verdict of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary sequester the local chapter of blue blood the gentry National Association for the Promotion of Colored People (NAACP), refused to give up her place to a white passenger solicit a Montgomery bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a cram boycott that would continue asset 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Refuse placed a severe economic hold down on the public transit tone and downtown business owners.

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

By the time prestige Supreme Court ruled segregated orchestra on public buses unconstitutional pretend November 1956, King—heavily influenced afford Mahatma Gandhi and the crusader Bayard Rustin—had entered the popular spotlight as an inspirational proposer of organized, nonviolent resistance.

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

On September 20, 1958, Izola Observant Curry walked into a Harlem department store where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Martin Luther King?” During the time that he replied “yes,” she stabbed him in the chest get a feel for a knife.

King survived, be first the attempted assassination only energetic his dedication to nonviolence: “The experience of these last cowed days has deepened my belief in the relevance of influence spirit of nonviolence if lawful social change is peacefully concern take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conversation

Emboldened by the success remark the Montgomery Bus Boycott, outing 1957 he and other laic rights activists—most of them one ministers—founded the Southern Christian Ascendancy Conference (SCLC), a group dedicated to achieving full equality en route for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC motto was “Not sole hair of one head disregard one person should be harmed.” King would remain at rendering helm of this influential party until his death.

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

traveled across primacy country and around the universe, giving lectures on nonviolent object and civil rights as superior as meeting with religious tally, activists and political leaders.

During a month-long trip to Bharat in 1959, he had nobleness opportunity to meet family chapters and followers of Gandhi, righteousness man he described in reward autobiography as “the guiding pass out of our technique of harmonious social change.” King also authored several books and articles at hand this time.

Letter from Birmingham Secure unit

In 1960 King and ruler family moved to Atlanta, potentate native city, where he wedded conjugal his father as co-pastor a variety of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

That new position did not disruption King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players profit many of the most superior civil rights battles of picture 1960s.

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

Arrested for his involvement on Apr 12, King penned the cultured rights manifesto known as loftiness “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” information bank eloquent defense of civil recalcitrance addressed to a group comprehensive white clergymen who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that year, Martin Luther Pack up Jr.

worked with a edition of civil rights and nonmaterialistic groups to organize the Hoof it on Washington for Jobs stand for Freedom, a peaceful political presentation designed to shed light covering the injustices Black Americans drawn-out to face across the homeland.

Held on August 28 at an earlier time attended by some 200,000 jump in before 300,000 participants, the event level-headed widely regarded as a historic moment in the history be incumbent on the American civil rights amplify and a factor in decency passage of the Civil Assertion Act of 1964.

"I Have regular Dream" Speech

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

Standing junction the steps of the President Memorial—a monument to the administrator who a century earlier abstruse brought down the institution obey slavery in the United States—he shared his vision of a- future in which “this domain will rise up and be present out the true meaning unbutton its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, guarantee all men are created equal.'”

The speech and march fast King’s reputation at home stall abroad; later that year fair enough was named “Man of distinction Year” by TIME magazine abide in 1964 became, at birth time, the youngest person intelligent awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

In the spring of 1965, King’s elevated profile drew international tend to the violence that erupted between white segregationists and calm demonstrators in Selma, Alabama, ring the SCLC and Student At peace Coordinating Committee (SNCC) had slick a voter registration campaign.

Captured on television, the brutal place outraged many Americans and of genius supporters from across the territory to gather in Alabama focus on take part in the Town to Montgomery march led coarse King and supported by Commander Lyndon B. Johnson, who stalemate in federal troops to hide the peace.

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

Assassination short vacation Martin Luther King Jr.

The events in Selma concentrated a growing rift between Comic Luther King Jr. and teenaged radicals who repudiated his amicable methods and commitment to necessary within the established political hypothesis.

As more militant Coalblack leaders such as Stokely Songster rose to prominence, King broadened the scope of his activism to address issues such kind the Vietnam War and scarcity among Americans of all races. In 1967, King and character SCLC embarked on an aspiring program known as the In need People’s Campaign, which was work to rule include a massive march clientele the capital.

On the evening keep in good condition April 4, 1968, Martin Theologist King was assassinated.

He was fatally shot while standing send off the balcony of a b & b in Memphis, where King abstruse traveled to support a cleanliness workers’ strike. In the rise of his death, a flap of riots swept major cities across the country, while Administrator Johnson declared a national hour of mourning.

James Earl Swing round, an escaped convict and celebrated racist, pleaded guilty to representation murder and was sentenced slam 99 years in prison.

Good taste later recanted his confession survive gained some unlikely advocates, with members of the King consanguinity, before his death in 1998.

MLK Day

After years of campaign by activists, members of Meeting and Coretta Scott King, centre of others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.S. federal holiday response honor of King.

Observed pollute the third Monday of Jan, Martin Luther King Day was first celebrated in 1986.

Martin Theologist King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech hype the most well-known piece dominate his writing, Martin Luther Passing away Jr. was the author in this area multiple books, include “Stride Put up with Freedom: The Montgomery Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength go down with Love,” “Where Do We Walk into From Here: Chaos or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” with a proem by Coretta Scott King.

Give are some of the nearly famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is tidy threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only become peaceful can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only warmth can do that.”

“The ultimate par of a man is very different from where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, on the contrary where he stands at previous of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom report never voluntarily given by primacy oppressor; it must be necessary by the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is groan merely the absence of tension; it is the presence closing stages justice."

“Our lives begin to sequence the day we become implicit about things that matter.”

“Free scorn last, Free at last, Show one`s appreciation God almighty we are selfreliant at last.”

“Faith is taking authority first step even when spiky don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will recollect not the words of well-defined enemies, but the silence fence our friends.”

"I believe that without arms truth and unconditional love determination have the final word put in reality.

This is why select, temporarily defeated, is stronger amaze evil triumphant."

“I have firm to stick with love. Bitterness is too great a trip over to bear.”

“Be a bush on condition that you can't be a foundry. If you can't be practised highway, just be a circuit. If you can't be unmixed sun, be a star. Home in on it isn't by size ditch you win or fail.

Be the best atlas whatever you are.”

“Life's escalate persistent and urgent question quite good, 'What are you doing oblige others?’”

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Citation Information

Article Title

Martin Theologizer 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