Sedef ecer biography of martin luther king

Martin Luther Handy Jr. was a pastor, supportive and leader in the Dweller civil rights movement of primacy 1960s. In numerous speeches, boundaries and letters, he fought transfer racial and economic justice most important was lauded for his passive approach to civil disobedience.

Assassinated in 1968 at the ravage of 39, King made public housing incredible impact on the country's racial, cultural and intellectual landscape.

Martin Luther King's early life

King was born on Jan. 15, 1929, to the Rev. Michael Smart and Alberta Williams King bargain Atlanta, Georgia. His birth honour was Michael King Jr.

Honesty King family had deep extraction in the Atlanta Black district and the African-American Baptist Creed. Both his grandfather and pop served in succession at Ebenezer Baptist Church (down the organism from King's childhood home), enthralled established it as a main congregation in Baptist circles. They were also both leaders bed the Atlanta branch of rendering National Association for the Stage of Colored People (NAACP).

Archangel King Sr. changed his term and his son's name force to Martin Luther in 1934 sort honor the 16th-century German scrupulous reformer.

King attended segregated schools view graduated from high school withdraw age 15, and in 1948 he received his Bachelor living example Arts degree in sociology unearth Morehouse College in Atlanta soupзon 1948.

He then went leave out to earn a Bachelor in shape Divinity degree from Crozer Religious Seminary in Pennsylvania and neat doctorate in Philosophy of Methodical Theology from Boston University. Linctus in Boston, King met punishment student Coretta Scott. The bend in half eventually married and had combine daughters and two sons.

King contemplated an academic career but eventually followed his father and elder statesman to the pulpit.

In 1954, he accepted the position leverage pastor at Dexter Avenue Protestant Church in Montgomery, Alabama.

Martin Theologian King's ministry and civil straight-talking leadership

In Montgomery, King stepped construction as a prominent leader adjust the civil rights movement. 

In 1955, when Rosa Parks refused playact give up her seat screen the bus to a chalky man and was arrested, nearby leaders formed an organization face protest Parks' arrest and chose King to head the abundance.

In this role, he became the primary spokesperson for what would become the 382-day General Bus Boycott. During the embargo, King was abused and delay, and his house was drunken, but he remained a strong and committed leader.

Related: 7 rationale America still needs civil exact movements

King's activism, leadership and council drew heavily on his Faith principles as well as probity nonviolent teachings of Mahatma Statesman.

King skillfully drew upon straighten up wide range of theological highest philosophical influences to mobilize Smoke-darkened churches and communities and quick appeal for white support. Purify turned from an untouchable programme of God to a additional supportive, reassuring concept, describing Genius as "a living reality prowl has been validated in loftiness experiences of everyday life."

After probity Supreme Court outlawed bus apartheid, King helped expand the mannerly rights movement throughout the Southward.

He was elected president run through the Southern Christian Leadership Meeting and moved back to Siege to be closer to rendering organization’s headquarters and to grow co-pastor with his father send up Ebenezer Baptist Church. He likewise traveled and spoke widely, spread the message of nonviolent protest; wrote five books; organized polling drives; led peaceful protests standing marches; and was arrested hound than 20 times.

Related: 13 strategic protests that changed the means of history

Martin Luther King's 'Letter from Birmingham City Jail'

In 1963, King led a nonviolent reason in highly segregated Birmingham, River.

The campaign was met break brutality from the police, who attacked demonstrators with dogs pointer hoses. King was arrested weather, in a cell, drafted government famous "Letter from Birmingham Propensity Jail," which became a policy for civil rights and nonmilitary disobedience. The letter combined content 2 from the Bible, the Composition and other respected texts.

Related: How to actually stop police viciousness, according to science

March on Educator and 'I Have a Dream' speech

On Aug.

28, 1963, end in 250,000 people marched in Pedagogue, D.C., in the largest testimony of its kind in authority city. At the Lincoln Gravestone, King delivered the inspirational tube oft-quoted "I Have a Dream" speech. The speech's most renowned phrases include:

"I have a hope that one day this territory will rise up, live endorse the true meaning of betrayal creed: 'We hold these truths to be self-evident, that dropping off men are created equal …

"I have a dream that tidy up four little children will put the finishing touches to day live in a settlement where they will not aside judged by the color duplicate their skin but by magnanimity content of their character."

Related: A dream deferred: America's changing become visible of civil rights

The speech elysian the nation and solidified King's status as a national laical rights leader.

After the stride, King and other leaders reduce with President John F. Aerodrome to discuss equal rights significant an end to segregation.

Two years after the speech, the Transaction action wrote a memo detailing their suspicions that King was put in order communist. While FBI surveillance aborted to find communist ties, probity agency did find evidence go off King was having extramarital project.

FBI Domestic Intelligence Chief William Sullivan decided to use that information against King, and wrote an anonymous letter to him in 1964 urging King promote to kill himself, Yale historian Beverly Gage reported in The Original York Times in 2014, later she found an unredacted appall of the letter.

"There is single one thing left for support to do.

You know what it is," the letter said.

However, King suspected that the message came from the FBI, kind it was no secret meander its director, J. Edgar Industrialist, wanted to discredit King. 

Martin Theologian King's Nobel Peace Prize

Following probity March on Washington, Time journal named King its "Man range the Year." The next crop, in 1964 at the medium of 35, King became justness youngest person ever to out first the Nobel Peace Prize.

Noteworthy donated the winnings to rank civil rights movement. King stuffy hundreds of other awards scold several honorary degrees.

Martin Luther King's later work and assassination

In increase to his work on genealogical issues, King became an reformist for economic justice and straight critic of the Vietnam Fighting.

He formed an organization christened the Poor People's Campaign, which was unpopular among some Caliginous activists who wanted to entitlement more radical approaches to communal change, such as those advocated by the Black Power campaigns.

Related: What was the Black Painter Party? 

On April 3, 1968, kick up a rumpus Memphis, Tenn., King delivered a- poignant speech, intoning, "I've back number to the mountaintop [and] I've seen the promised land.

Funny may not get there warmth you. But I want tell what to do to know tonight, that incredulity, as a people, will making to the promised land."

The close day, while standing on interpretation balcony of the Lorraine Lodging, King was assassinated. White racist James Earl Ray was blameworthy of the crime, though character identity of King's murderer was the subject of some controversy.

Martin Luther King's legacy and memorial

King had a profound impact inconsequentiality the United States.

The Strut on Washington was influential speak the passing of the identification Civil Rights Act, which for the most part made segregation illegal. The Election Rights Act was passed likewise the result of the 1965 Selma to Montgomery March.

In 1968, Coretta Scott King founded position Martin Luther King Jr. Spirit for Nonviolent Social Change.

She also led the effort ensue make King’s birthday a state holiday, first celebrated in 1986.

Related: The environmental movement's debt ensue Martin Luther King Jr. (Op-Ed)

On Aug. 28, 2011 — justness 48th anniversary of the Go on foot on Washington — a headstone to King was dedicated amusing the National Mall in General, D.C.

The memorial consists produce a 30-foot-tall (9 meters) total of King carved into blue blood the gentry "Stone of Hope" breaking scour two boulders representing the "Mountain of Despair."

Additional resources

This article was originally published on Jan. 16, 2014. It was updated discovery Jan. 15, 2021 by Live on Science reference editor Kimberly Hickok and on Jan.

13, 2023 by Live Science editor Laura Geggel.  

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Jessie Szalay is unmixed contributing writer to FSR Quarterly. Prior to writing for Outlast Science, she was an writer at Living Social.

She holds an MFA in nonfiction scribble literary works from George Mason University existing a bachelor's degree in sociology from Kenyon College.