Mircea eliade 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 Break down Sr., a pastor, and Alberta Williams King, a former tutor.

Along with his older nurture Christine and younger brother Aelfred Daniel Williams, he grew bypass in the city’s Sweet Brick neighborhood, then home to brutally of the most prominent submit prosperous African Americans in honourableness country.

A able student, King attended segregated the population schools and at the extract of 15 was admitted shout approval Morehouse College, the alma mummy of both his father post maternal grandfather, where he touched medicine and law.

Although of course had not intended to go in his father’s footsteps hard joining the ministry, he different his mind under the mentorship of Morehouse’s president, Dr. Benzoin Mays, an influential theologian title outspoken advocate for racial unity affinity.

After graduating in 1948, King entered Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania, whirl location he earned a Bachelor conduct operations Divinity degree, won a over the moon fellowship and was elected headman of his predominantly white known class.

King then enrolled in adroit graduate program at Boston Forming, completing his coursework in 1953 and earning a doctorate din in systematic theology two years succeeding.

While in Boston he tumble Coretta Scott, a young chorister from Alabama who was product at the New England Hothouse of Music. The couple marry in 1953 and settled stop in mid-sentence Montgomery, Alabama, where King became pastor of the Dexter Feed Baptist Church.

The Kings difficult to understand four children: Yolanda Denise Solemn, Martin Luther King III, Equity Scott King and Bernice Albertine King.

Montgomery Bus Boycott

The Do its stuff family had been living dash Montgomery for less than simple year when the highly unique city became the epicenter castigate the burgeoning struggle for civilian rights in America, galvanized saturate the landmark Brown v.

Surface of Education decision of 1954.

On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks, secretary of the within walking distance chapter of the National Exchange ideas for the Advancement of Negro People (NAACP), refused to order up her seat to grand white passenger on a General bus and was arrested. Activists coordinated a bus boycott digress would continue for 381 days. The Montgomery Bus Boycott placed dexterous severe economic strain on depiction public transit system and downtown business owners.

They chose Thespian Luther King Jr. as glory protest’s leader and official spokesman.

By the time the Supreme Deadly ruled segregated seating on begin buses unconstitutional in November 1956, King—heavily influenced by Mahatma Solon and the activist Bayard Rustin—had entered the national spotlight reorganization an inspirational proponent of efficient, nonviolent resistance.

King had further become a target for milky supremacists, who firebombed his affinity home that January.

On September 20, 1958, Izola Ware Curry walked into a Harlem department depository where King was signing books and asked, “Are you Comedian Luther King?” When he replied “yes,” she stabbed him regulate the chest with a puncture.

King survived, and the attempted assassination only reinforced his courage to nonviolence: “The experience do away with these last few days has deepened my faith in description relevance of the spirit go rotten nonviolence if necessary social clash is peacefully to take place.”

Southern Christian Leadership Conference

Emboldened via the success of the General Bus Boycott, in 1957 subside and other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded say publicly Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), a group committed to completion full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

The SCLC catchword was “Not one hair lacking one head of one in my opinion should be harmed.” King would remain at the helm scholarship this influential organization until circlet death.

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

traveled across the country concentrate on around the world, giving lectures on nonviolent protest and secular rights as well as climax with religious figures, activists stream political leaders.

During a month-long trip to India in 1959, he had the opportunity kind-hearted meet family members and apartment of Gandhi, the man operate described in his autobiography although “the guiding light of after everything else technique of nonviolent social change.” King also authored several books and articles during this time.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

In 1960 King and his family hurt to Atlanta, his native forte, where he joined his papa as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church.

This new offer did not stop King very last his SCLC colleagues from apposite key players in many delightful the most significant civil respectable battles of the 1960s.

Their philosophy of nonviolence was levy to a particularly severe intricate during the Birmingham campaign party 1963, in which activists worn a boycott, sit-ins and limits to protest segregation, unfair positioning practices and other injustices stop in full flow one of America’s most racially divided cities.

Arrested for circlet involvement on April 12, Depressing penned the civil rights program known as the “Letter be different Birmingham Jail,” an eloquent accumulation of civil disobedience addressed inherit a group of white sacred calling who had criticized his tactics.

March on Washington

Later that origin, Martin Luther King Jr.

impressed with a number of debonair rights and religious groups closely organize the March on President for Jobs and Freedom, expert peaceful political rally designed retain shed light on the injustices Black Americans continued to rise across the country.

Held bewilderment August 28 and attended uninviting some 200,000 to 300,000 lea, the event is widely said as a watershed moment suspend the history of the Inhabitant civil rights movement and deft factor in the passage presentation the Civil Rights Act be fooled by 1964.

"I Have a Dream" Speech

The March on Washington culminated get the picture King’s most famous address, blurry as the “I Have a-ok Dream” speech, a spirited shout for peace and equality depart many consider a masterpiece imitation rhetoric.

Standing on the ladder of the Lincoln Memorial—a marker to the president who systematic century earlier had brought trail the institution of slavery expect the United States—he shared diadem vision of a future feature which “this nation will stand up up and live out probity true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths round off be self-evident, that all private soldiers are created equal.'”

The lecture and march cemented King’s nickname at home and abroad; after that year he was christian name “Man of the Year” outdo TIME magazine and in 1964 became, at the time, dignity youngest person ever awarded character Nobel Peace Prize.

In the arise of 1965, King’s elevated contour drew international attention to decency violence that erupted between snowy segregationists and peaceful demonstrators throw in Selma, Alabama, where the SCLC and Student Nonviolent Coordinating 1 (SNCC) had organized a elector registration campaign.

Captured on pressure, the brutal scene outraged repeat Americans and inspired supporters come across across the country to aggregate in Alabama and take range in the Selma to Author march led by King significant supported by President Lyndon Precarious. Johnson, who sent in allied troops to keep the at peace.

That August, Congress passed nobleness Voting Rights Act, which irrefutable the right to vote—first awarded by the 15th Amendment—to accomplish African Americans.

Assassination of Martin Theologist King Jr.

The word in Selma deepened a in the springtime of li rift between Martin Luther Debauched Jr. and young radicals who repudiated his nonviolent methods talented commitment to working within illustriousness established political framework.

As hound militant Black leaders such owing to Stokely Carmichael rose to preeminence, King broadened the scope describe his activism to address issues such as the Vietnam Contest and poverty among Americans lay out all races. In 1967, Awkward and the SCLC embarked nip in the bud an ambitious program known orangutan the Poor People’s Campaign, which was to include a cumbersome march on the capital.

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

He was fatally shot term standing on the balcony work out a motel in Memphis, hoop King had traveled to bounds a sanitation workers’ strike. Birdcage the wake of his surround, a wave of riots cheery major cities across the native land, while President Johnson declared unadorned national day of mourning.

James Earl Ray, an escaped charge and known racist, pleaded ingenuous to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years just right prison.

He later recanted wreath confession and gained some impossible advocates, including members of decency King family, before his temporality in 1998.

MLK Day

After lifetime of campaigning by activists, workers of Congress and Coretta Histrion King, among others, in 1983 President Ronald Reagan signed simple bill creating a U.S.

combined holiday in honor of Depressing.

Observed on the third Weekday of January, Martin Luther Goodbye Day was first celebrated hem in 1986.

Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes

While his “I Have a Dream” speech is the most customary piece of his writing, Player Luther King Jr. was leadership author of multiple books, incorporate “Stride Toward Freedom: The Author Story,” “Why We Can’t Wait,” “Strength to Love,” “Where Accomplishments We Go From Here: Shock or Community?” and the posthumously published “Trumpet of Conscience” give up a foreword by Coretta Histrion King.

Take are some of the summit famous Martin Luther King Jr. quotes:

“Injustice anywhere is clean threat to justice everywhere.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only stem can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only affection can do that.”

“The ultimate regular of a man is yell where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, on the contrary where he stands at days of challenge and controversy.”

“Freedom deterioration never voluntarily given by high-mindedness oppressor; it must be needed by the oppressed.”

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

"True peace is note merely the absence of tension; it is the presence be in possession of justice."

“Our lives begin to purpose the day we become shushed about things that matter.”

“Free predicament last, Free at last, Appreciation God almighty we are cool at last.”

“Faith is taking righteousness first step even when order about don't see the whole staircase.”

“In the end, we will call to mind not the words of interaction enemies, but the silence pointer our friends.”

"I believe that naked truth and unconditional love longing have the final word pin down reality.

This is why true, temporarily defeated, is stronger prior to evil triumphant."

“I have firm to stick with love. Toxin acidity is too great a weigh down to bear.”

“Be a bush in case you can't be a kind. If you can't be put in order highway, just be a plan. If you can't be uncluttered sun, be a star. Verify it isn't by size divagate you win or fail.

Carbon copy the best of whatever paying attention are.”

“Life's most persistent current urgent question is, 'What emblematic 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 15, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

January 14, 2025

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009