Martin Luther King Jr. Biography: Day, Death, Wife, Quotes, kids, Early Life, Family

Martin Luther King Jr. Biography: Day, Death, Wife, Quotes, kids, Early Life, Family

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is an enduring symbol of American freedom and civil rights, and a legacy that endures to this day. He was the youngest person to ever win the Nobel Peace Prize, and he advocated for freedom and equality using nonviolent methods. His work inspired great social change in America and across the world - from ending racial segregation laws to providing justice for all people.

In this biography, we cover King's early years, his rise as a prominent leader in the black community, how he influenced social movements like Black Lives Matter, and what happened when he died at age 39.

Martin Luther King Jr. Biography: Day, Death, Wife, Quotes, kids, Early Life, Family

Martin Luther King Jr. Biography: Day, Death, Wife, Quotes, kids, Early Life, Family

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day is celebrated on his birthday, January 15. It commemorates the birthday of one of the greatest leaders in the U.S. and a controversial figure in his time. King was a popular civil rights leader in the 1960s and '70s and was assassinated in 1968.

In many ways, his legacy is complicated. King is celebrated for his role in the American civil rights movement but is also known for his support of the Vietnam War and opposition to some Southern nationalism.

He was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the second of four children of a Baptist minister, Reverend Martin Luther King Sr. (December 18, 1894 - July 4, 1972), and his wife Alberta Williams King (September 29, 1898 - January 27, 1979).

Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Early Life

At 14 years old, Martin Luther King Jr. joined the Montgomery Bus Boycott and continued to speak out against segregation. He attended Brown University and joined the varsity basketball team. In 1954, he was accused of having oral sex with a female student.

He was expelled and faced legal charges, but the case was thrown out due to a lack of evidence.

Growing up in Montgomery, Alabama, he attended segregated schools. He grew up speaking loudly against racism and segregation. When King was 15 years old, his father died, leaving King to run the family business, SCLC.

As King grew older, he was suspended from school for leading a protest against the Supreme Court's school segregation rulings. When King was 18, he dropped out of college and joined the American Baptist Missionary Union.

Martin Luther King Jr. Family

King's father was born in 1887 and married a woman named Alberta in 1895. The marriage produced a daughter named Coretta Scott in 1900. King's father, named Marcus, and his mother, renamed Alberta, were born in Alabama.

They moved to Alabama, then moved on to Georgia, and finally settled in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Martin was born in 1929. The two parents married in 1906 and had six children together - three sons and three daughters.

Martin Luther King Jr.'s Parents: His Father, Marcus King, and His Mother, Alberta Scott

Martin Luther King Jr. was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929. His father was Martin Luther King Sr., a Baptist preacher who became a staunch supporter of African American civil rights and civil liberties in the late 1930s.

Martin Luther King Jr. quotes

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win."

–Martin Luther King Jr.

"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."

–Martin Luther King Jr.

"Leadership involves so much more than saying what you believe, or what you can get people to believe, or what you would like to believe. You are not leading the march of an army; you are leading the march of a whole people."

–Martin Luther King Jr.

"By affirming that he belongs to the one and only human family we would be freeing men, woman, and children to help one another rather than hurt one another."

–Martin Luther King Jr.

His Life and Legacy

Born to Rev. Martin Luther King Sr.

Martin Luther King Jr. "I have a dream" speech

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929, in Atlanta, Georgia. He was the youngest child of parents who had met in Montgomery, Alabama - a site where Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus and sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. His mother Alberta gave birth to him while they were in Montgomery.

Dr King was a gifted student and preacher. He was awarded a scholarship to Boston University, where he studied philosophy and religion. During this time, he also joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church (AME Church), an African-American church founded by slaves in Philadelphia in 1816.

The man who would be King was deeply influenced by the Reverend James H. Cone, who became his spiritual mentor.

Martin Luther King Jr. Death

After the 1964 passage of the Civil Rights Act, the US has a black president, a black majority on the Supreme Court, and a black cabinet in the office. But the movement for black equality didn't end with the assassination of Dr King. His legacy continues to resonate across the country today, inspiring efforts to end racism and help black people and their communities.

Martin Luther King Jr. Kids

Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy didn't end when he was killed in 1968. It's still very much alive today. In 2015, AGE INC produced this award-winning feature documentary, Martin Luther King Jr. Kids. The film shows the influence that King had on his three children.

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Martin Luther King Jr. Biography: Living Legacy and Chappell's Earnest Counsel, by Charles Koppelman & Richard Chappell, is available in bookstores now.

Conclusion

The theme of this edition of “Must Reads” was “courage”. Courage is defined as “the quality or state of being courageous or brave.” Dr King exemplified courage every day, whether in a deeply moving speech about racial injustice to his followers in Atlanta, Georgia or in a march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge to protest that city’s racist laws.

He was courageous, not only in speaking truth to power but in his selfless dedication to his goal of equality for all people regardless of race, economic status or political persuasion.

As you examine the lives of both men, you are looking at two great examples of courage - Dr King and President Donald Trump. Both men have had setbacks in their lives and both have faced tremendous adversity.

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Martin Luther King Jr. Biography: Day, Death, Wife, Quotes, kids, Early Life, Family