Biography of Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an African American minister and activist who became the most visible spokesperson and leader in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968.Martin Luther King, Jr., is known for his contributions to the American civil rights movement in the 1960s. His most famous work is his “I Have a Dream” (1963) speech, in which he spoke of his dream of a United States that is void of segregation and racism. King also advocated for nonviolent methods of protest. He organized and staged countless marches and boycotts during the civil rights movement. King is best known for advancing civil rights through nonviolence and civil disobedience, inspired by his Christian beliefs and the nonviolent activism of Mahatma Gandhi.

Family life

His grandfather began the family’s long tenure as pastors of the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, serving from 1914 to 1931; his father has served from then until the present, and from 1960 until his death Martin Luther acted as co-pastor. Martin Luther attended segregated public schools in Georgia, graduating from high school at the age of fifteen; he received the B. A. degree in 1948 from Morehouse College, a distinguished Negro institution of Atlanta from which both his father and grandfather had graduated. After three years of theological study at Crozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania where he was elected president of a predominantly white senior class, he was awarded the B.D. in 1951. With a fellowship won at Crozer, he enrolled in graduate studies at Boston University, completing his residence for the doctorate in 1953 and receiving the degree in 1955. In Boston he met and married Coretta Scott, a young woman of uncommon intellectual and artistic attainments. Two sons and two daughters were born into the family.

Achievements

• March on Washington
In 1963, Dr. King achieved perhaps his most important accomplishment when he helped lead over 200,000 people to the Lincoln Memorial overlooking the Washington Monument. The march was organized by King and groups of civil rights, labor and religious organizations in order to gain civil and economic equality for African-Americans. It was here where King made his historic “I Have a Dream” speech which called for an end to racism. The march was crucial in helping to pass the Civil Rights Act, which outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex or national origin.

• Montgomery Bus Boycott
On the same day that Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus to a white person, King led the boycott on the Montgomery, Ala., bus system. The boycott, which lasted over a year, was a political and social protest against racial segregation. It eventually led to a Supreme Court ruling that dubbed segregated buses unconstitutional. King was arrested for leading the protest, he underwent abuse and multiple threats, and his home was even bombed. But his determination for justice and equality never stopped him in his fight.

• Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Dr. King served as the first president of the SCLC following the Montgomery Bus Boycott. King founded the African-American civil rights organization in order to support nonviolent protests for equality. The SCLC consisted of ministers and other church leaders in Atlanta. At first, its focus was exclusively on buses, but eventually expanded its goals to end all forms of segregation. Under King’s guidance, the SCLC peacefully organized mass protest campaigns, voter registration drives and fought for equality.

• Birmingham Campaign
The SCLC promoted this strategic effort to end the Birmingham’s segregated civil and discriminatory economic policies. The campaign began with a boycott on local businesses to pressure them to desegregate. When the boycott initially failed, King and the SCLC started “Project C,” a series of sit-ins and marches. Although protests turned violent at some points, with Birmingham police using brutal force to control protestors, the campaign was an immense success. King’s reputation improved, Jim Crow laws ended and public businesses and restaurants became more open to African-American patrons.

• Nobel Peace Prize
After his years of historic accomplishments and triumphs, King was honored with the distinguished award in 1964. His active and dynamic leadership, highlighted by his nonviolent tactics, helped him earn the prize. Receiving the award was a testament that nonviolence was the best method in achieving peace and equality. At 35, King was the youngest man to ever receive the Nobel Peace Prize. In classic MLK style, he used his prize money to help the efforts of the Civil Rights Movement. King won several awards in his lifetime, but the peace prize was inarguably his greatest one.

Favourite Quotes

A riot is the language of the unheard.

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.

Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

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