Catriona mckay biography of martin luther king

Activists coordinated a bus boycott that would continue for days. The Montgomery Bus Boycott placed a severe economic strain on the public transit system and downtown business owners. They chose Martin Luther King Jr. By the time the Supreme Court ruled segregated seating on public buses unconstitutional in NovemberKing—heavily influenced by Mahatma Gandhi and the activist Bayard Rustin —had entered the national spotlight as an inspirational proponent of organized, nonviolent resistance.

King had also become a target for white supremacists, who firebombed his family home that January. Emboldened by the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, in he and other civil rights activists—most of them fellow ministers—founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference SCLCa group committed to achieving full equality for African Americans through nonviolent protest.

In King and his catriona mckay biography of martin luther king moved to Atlanta, his native city, where he joined his father as co-pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This new position did not stop King and his SCLC colleagues from becoming key players in many of the most significant civil rights battles of the s. With the slogan, "I am a man," workers in Memphis sought financial justice in a strike that fatefully became Martin Luther King Jr.

King penned of the civil rights movement's seminal texts while in solitary confinement, initially on the margins of a newspaper. The civil rights leader was attacked in by Izola Ware Curry, a decade before his murder. InDr. King was shot dead for his beliefs. What did Dr. Dr Martin Luther King Jr. He gave a famous speech to lots of people in Washington in In it, he said he had a dream that life for his children could be different from how it had been for him.

During his life, he was arrested and sent to prison 29 times. Did you know? When Dr. This made him very sad. He returned to Atlanta to become co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church but also continued his civil rights efforts. His next activist campaign was the student-led Greensboro Sit-In movement. The movement quickly gained traction in several other cities.

King encouraged students to continue to use nonviolent methods during their protests. By Augustthe sit-ins had successfully ended segregation at lunch counters in 27 southern cities. On October 19,King and 75 students entered a local department store and requested lunch-counter service but were denied. When they refused to leave the counter area, King and 36 others were arrested.

Soon after, King was imprisoned for violating his probation on a traffic conviction. The news of his imprisonment entered the presidential campaign when candidate John F. Kennedy expressed his concern over the harsh treatment Martin received for the traffic ticket, and political pressure was quickly set in motion. King was soon released.

In the spring ofKing organized a demonstration in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. With entire families in attendance, city police turned dogs and fire hoses on demonstrators. King was jailed, along with large numbers of his supporters. The event drew nationwide attention. However, King was personally criticized by Black and white clergy alike for taking risks and endangering the children who attended the demonstration.

The demonstration was the brainchild of labor leader A. On August 28,the historic March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom drew an estimatedpeople in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial. It remains one of the largest peaceful demonstrations in American history. The rising tide of civil rights agitation that had culminated in the March on Washington produced a strong effect on public opinion.

This resulted in the passage of the Civil Rights Act ofauthorizing the federal government to enforce desegregation of public accommodations and outlawing discrimination in publicly owned facilities. But the Selma march quickly turned violent as police with nightsticks and tear gas met the demonstrators as they tried to cross the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma.

The attack was televised, broadcasting the horrifying images of marchers being bloodied and severely injured to a wide audience. Not to be deterred, activists attempted the Selma-to-Montgomery march again. This time, King made sure he was part of it. Because a federal judge had issued a temporary restraining order on another march, a different approach was taken.

On March 9,a procession of 2, marchers, both Black and white, set out once again to cross the Pettus Bridge and confronted barricades and state troopers. Instead of forcing a confrontation, King led his followers to kneel in prayer, then they turned back. Johnson pledged his support and ordered U. Army troops and the Alabama National Guard to protect the protestors.

On March 21,approximately 2, people began a march from Selma to Montgomery. On March 25, the number of marchers, which had grown to an estimated 25, gathered in front of the state capitol where King delivered a televised speech. Five months after the historic peaceful protest, President Johnson signed the Voting Rights Act. Standing at the Lincoln Memorial, he emphasized his belief that someday all men could be brothers to the ,strong crowd.

Six years before he told the world of his dream, King stood at the same Lincoln Memorial steps as the final speaker of the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom. Dismayed by the ongoing obstacles to registering Black voters, King urged leaders from various backgrounds—Republican and Democrat, Black and white—to work together in the name of justice.

Speaking at the University of Oslo in Norway, King pondered why he was receiving the Nobel Prize when the battle for racial justice was far from over, before acknowledging that it was in recognition of the power of nonviolent resistance.

Catriona mckay biography of martin luther king

He then compared the foot soldiers of the Civil Rights Movement to the ground crew at an airport who do the unheralded-yet-necessary work to keep planes running on schedule. At the end of the bitterly fought Selma-to-Montgomery march, King addressed a crowd of 25, supporters from the Alabama State Capitol. Offering a brief history lesson on the roots of segregation, King emphasized that there would be no stopping the effort to secure full voting rights, while suggesting a more expansive agenda to come with a call to march on poverty.

Explaining why his conscience had forced him to speak up, King expressed concern for the poor American soldiers pressed into conflict thousands of miles from home, while pointedly faulting the U. The well-known orator delivered his final speech the day before he died at the Mason Temple in Memphis, Tennessee. They were married on June 18,and had four children—two daughters and two sons—over the next decade.

The couple welcomed Bernice King in In addition to raising the children while Martin travelled the country, Coretta opened their home to organizational meetings and served as an advisor and sounding board for her husband. His lengthy absences became a way of life for their children, but Martin III remembered his father returning from the road to join the kids playing in the yard or bring them to the local YMCA for swimming.

Through his leadership of the SCLC, King organized and participated in numerous marches, sit-ins, and other forms of peaceful protest to fight against segregation and discrimination. King's unwavering commitment to nonviolent resistance and his powerful message of equality and justice propelled him to become a key figure in the civil rights movement.

He continued to use his platform to advocate for racial equality, even in the face of adversity and violence. His legacy continues to inspire generations to fight for justice and equality for all. One of his most notable achievements was the March on Washington inwhere he delivered his iconic 'I Have a Dream' speech. This peaceful demonstration brought together overpeople from all walks of life, and it is considered one of the largest political rallies for human rights in history.

This legislation outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, and it was a major victory for the Civil Rights Movement. King's leadership and advocacy were instrumental in gaining support for this act and pushing it through Congress. His legacy continues to inspire people all over the world to stand up against injustice and fight for a better future.

As we reflect on his life and achievements, let us also strive to carry on his message of love, peace, and unity. Grace Thompson is a dedicated historian and writer, contributing extensively to the field of world history. Her work covers a wide range of topics, including ancient civilizations, cultural histories, and significant global events like the World Wars.