Biography martin luther king kurz dolarue

Fifteen years after its introduction, the bill finally became law. Day of Service as a federal holiday. The only national day of service, Martin Luther King Jr. Day was first celebrated in The first time all 50 states recognized the holiday was in Had he lived, King would be turning 96 years old this year. See Martin Luther King Jr. Through his nonviolent activism and inspirational speeches , he played a pivotal role in ending legal segregation of Black Americans as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of and the Voting Rights Act of King won the Nobel Peace Prize in , among several other honors.

He continues to be remembered as one of the most influential and inspirational Black leaders in history. Originally, his name was Michael Luther King Jr. Michael Sr. In due time, Michael Jr. His mother was Alberta Williams King. The Williams and King families had roots in rural Georgia. Martin Jr. Williams, was a rural minister for years and then moved to Atlanta in He took over the small, struggling Ebenezer Baptist Church with around 13 members and made it into a forceful congregation.

He married Jennie Celeste Parks, and they had one child who survived, Alberta. Martin Sr. He married Alberta in after an eight-year courtship. The newlyweds moved to A. Martin stepped in as pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church upon the death of his father-in-law in He, too, became a successful minister. A middle child, Martin Jr. The King children grew up in a secure and loving environment.

Although they undoubtedly tried, Martin Jr. He strongly discouraged any sense of class superiority in his children, which left a lasting impression on Martin Jr. His baptism in May was less memorable for young King, but an event a few years later left him reeling. In May , when King was 12 years old, his grandmother Jennie died of a heart attack.

Distraught at the news, he jumped from a second-story window at the family home, allegedly attempting suicide. Growing up in Atlanta, King entered public school at age 5. He later attended Booker T. Washington High School, where he was said to be a precocious student. He skipped both the ninth and eleventh grades and, at age 15, entered Morehouse College in Atlanta in He was a popular student, especially with his female classmates, but largely unmotivated, floating through his first two years.

Influenced by his experiences with racism, King began planting the seeds for a future as a social activist early in his time at Morehouse. At the time, King felt that the best way to serve that purpose was as a lawyer or a doctor. Although his family was deeply involved in the church and worship, King questioned religion in general and felt uncomfortable with overly emotional displays of religious worship.

But in his junior year at Morehouse, King took a Bible class, renewed his faith, and began to envision a career in the ministry. In the fall of his senior year, he told his father of his decision, and he was ordained at Ebenezer Baptist Church in February Later that year, King earned a sociology degree from Morehouse College and began attended the liberal Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania.

He thrived in all his studies, was elected student body president, and was valedictorian of his class in He also earned a fellowship for graduate study. He became romantically involved with a white woman and went through a difficult time before he could break off the relationship. Mays was an outspoken advocate for racial equality and encouraged King to view Christianity as a potential force for social change.

White people did not have to do these things. In and , civil rights groups in Selma, Alabama had been trying to sign African-American people up to vote, but they had not been able to. They refused to sign up African-Americans. Together, they started working on voting rights. Jackson died. They also wanted to show that they would not let racism or violence stop them from getting equal rights.

The first march was on March 7, Police officers, and people they had chosen to help them, attacked the marchers with clubs and tear gas. They threatened to throw the marchers off the Edmund Pettus Bridge. Seventeen marchers had to go to the hospital , and 50 others were also injured. Pictures and film of the marchers being beaten were shown around the world, in newspapers and on television.

People came from all over the United States to march with the activists. One of them, James Reeb , was attacked by white people for supporting civil rights. He died on March 11, Finally, President Lyndon B. Not Long" at the Alabama State Capitol. He told the marchers that it would not be long before they had equal rights, "because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.

This law made it illegal to stop somebody from voting because of their race. After this, King continued to fight poverty and the Vietnam War. King had made enemies by working for civil rights and becoming such a powerful leader. They wiretapped his phones, his home, and the phones and homes of his friends. On April 4, , King was in Memphis, Tennessee.

He planned to lead a protest march to support garbage workers who were on strike. At pm, he was shot while he was standing on the balcony of his motel room. It cut open the biggest veins and arteries in King's neck before stopping in his shoulder. King was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital. His heart had stopped. Doctors there cut open his chest and tried to make his heart start pumping again.

King's death led to riots in many cities. He was sentenced to 99 years in prison. For example, this made it illegal for a realtor to refuse to let a black family buy a house in a white neighborhood. This law was seen as a tribute to King's last few years of work fighting housing discrimination in the United States. I want you to be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry And I want you to say that I tried to love and serve humanity.

After his death, King was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In , the United States government created a national holiday in King's honor. It is called Martin Luther King, Jr. It is celebrated on the third Monday in January. Many people fought for the holiday to be created, including singer Stevie Wonder. King County in the state of Washington , is named after King.

King , an American politician who owned slaves. Two years later, they changed their official logo to include a picture of King. More than streets in the United States have also been named after King. These streets exist in 40 different states; Washington, D. There are also memorials for King around the world. These include: [ 42 ].

Contents move to sidebar hide. Page Talk. Read Change Change source View history. Tools Tools. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikiquote Wikidata item. The Reverend. Coretta Scott. Martin Luther King Sr. Alberta Williams King. Christine King Farris sister A. King brother Alveda King niece. Civil rights peace anti-war. Early life [ change change source ].

He led the fight for equal rights for black people in America. He was famous for his powerful speeches. Watch: Dr. Video Transcript Video Transcript. And the words he said that day are some of the most famous in history. King lived in a part of America that had racist laws that treated black people unfairly. He had many enemies and was sent to prison.

After his release, he went to Washington. In , Dr. King was shot dead for his beliefs. James Earl Ray , an escaped convict and known racist, pleaded guilty to the murder and was sentenced to 99 years in prison. He later recanted his confession and gained some unlikely advocates, including members of the King family, before his death in After years of campaigning by activists, members of Congress and Coretta Scott King, among others, in President Ronald Reagan signed a bill creating a U.

Here are some of the most famous Martin Luther King Jr. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. This is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant. If you can't be a highway, just be a trail. If you can't be a sun, be a star.

Biography martin luther king kurz dolarue

For it isn't by size that you win or fail. Be the best of whatever you are. A look at one of the defining social movements in U.