Martin Luther King Jr.
Born 1929 · Age 96
American Baptist minister, political philosopher, and leader of the U.S. civil rights movement (active 1955–1968) who advanced civil rights through nonviolent resistance.
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Life & Career Timeline
Birth (Michael King Jr.)
Born Michael King Jr. in Atlanta, Georgia, to Michael (later Martin Luther) King Sr. and Alberta Williams King.
Family name change to Martin Luther King
Father changed his name to Martin Luther King Sr. and renamed his son Martin Luther King Jr. after returning from the Baptist World Alliance trip.
Death of maternal grandmother; suicide attempt
His maternal grandmother Jennie ('Mama') died; distraught 12-year-old King jumped from a second‑story window in a suicide attempt but survived.
Entered Morehouse College
Admitted to Morehouse College under a wartime program for high‑school juniors; left Booker T. Washington High to enroll at age 15.
Summer at tobacco farm in Connecticut (first experience of integrated North)
Worked with other Morehouse students at Cullman Brothers Tobacco in Simsbury, CT; first extended exposure to integrated northern society.
First major public speech (oratorical contest)
Delivered his first public speech in a junior‑year oratorical contest and won, declaring 'black America still wears chains.'
Graduated from Morehouse College (B.A. in Sociology)
Completed undergraduate studies at Morehouse College; credited Benjamin Mays as a key mentor.
Ordained to the Baptist ministry
Ordained as a Baptist minister (February 25, 1948).
Mary's Cafe sit‑in (civil disobedience)
With classmates, was refused service at Mary's Cafe in Maple Shade, NJ; the group's complaint led to a conviction for the owner on disorderly conduct — an early nonviolent protest formative to King's tactics.
Graduated Crozer Theological Seminary (B.Div.)
Earned a Bachelor of Divinity from Crozer; was elected student‑body president and began deeper study of Gandhian nonviolence influences.
Marriage to Coretta Scott
Married Coretta Scott on the lawn of her parents' house in Heiberger, Alabama.
Called as pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church
At age 25 King was called to lead Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama — a key pastoral post leading to his rise as a civil rights leader.
House bombed and arrests during bus boycott
During the intense Montgomery boycott period King's home was bombed and he was arrested (including for a speeding citation) as tensions rose.
Received Ph.D. from Boston University
Awarded a Ph.D. in systematic theology; dissertation titled 'A Comparison of the Conceptions of God in the Thinking of Paul Tillich and Henry Nelson Wieman.'
Montgomery bus boycott begins (Rosa Parks arrested)
Rosa Parks' arrest sparked the Montgomery bus boycott; King became a leading organizer and spokesperson.
Elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA)
Elected to lead the MIA, becoming the official spokesperson for the Montgomery bus boycott and rising to national prominence.
Court rulings end bus segregation
Federal court decisions (Browder v. Gayle and subsequent enforcement) ended legal segregation on Montgomery buses, bringing victory to the boycott.
Co‑founded Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
Helped found the SCLC with Ralph Abernathy, Fred Shuttlesworth, Joseph Lowery and others; became its first president to coordinate nonviolent civil‑rights actions.
Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom (first national address)
Addressed a national audience in Washington, D.C., at the SCLC's Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom (estimated crowd ~15,000).
Published 'Stride Toward Freedom'
Released his first major book recounting the Montgomery bus boycott and the philosophy of nonviolent protest.
Stabbed in Harlem (assassination attempt)
Was stabbed in the chest with a letter opener by Izola Curry while signing books in Blumstein's department store, nearly puncturing his aorta; hospitalized for weeks and underwent surgery.
Visited India to study nonviolent tactics; moved to Atlanta
Traveled to India to study Gandhian nonviolence and resigned as pastor of Dexter Avenue to concentrate full‑time on SCLC work; moved to Atlanta.
Became co‑pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church (Atlanta)
Returned to Atlanta and served as co‑pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church while directing SCLC activities.
Arrested in Atlanta sit‑in protests (October 1960)
Participated in Atlanta sit‑ins and was arrested during a coordinated mass action; later sentenced under a plea deal to four months' hard labor and taken to Georgia State Prison before being released.
Joined Albany Movement
Became involved with the Albany, Georgia desegregation coalition; was swept into mass arrests on initial visit.
Jailed in Albany (July 1962)
Returned to Albany in July 1962 and chose jail over a fine or probation; released after a few days when authorities quietly arranged his release.
FBI wiretapping and COINTELPRO targeting begins
J. Edgar Hoover's FBI began surveillance (wiretaps) and COINTELPRO activities against King from 1963, investigating alleged communist ties and seeking to discredit him.
Arrested in Birmingham campaign (Good Friday)
Arrested in Birmingham, Alabama for demonstrating; spent 11 days in jail and wrote the famous 'Letter from Birmingham Jail.'
Birmingham Agreement
A negotiated agreement announced that led to desegregation of stores, restaurants, schools, changes in hiring and dropped charges related to protests.
Freedom Walk in Detroit
Led an estimated 125,000 people on a Freedom Walk in Detroit (June 23, 1963).
March on Washington; 'I Have a Dream' speech
One of the leaders of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom; delivered the iconic 'I Have a Dream' speech at the Lincoln Memorial to ~250,000 people.
Received anonymous threatening letter from FBI (perceived as attempt to force suicide)
FBI mailed an anonymous threatening letter in 1964, which King interpreted as an attempt to push him toward suicide; part of COINTELPRO harassment.
Featured on Time magazine cover (Man of the Year)
Recognized on Time magazine's cover as Man of the Year (early 1964 issue noted in sources).
Civil Rights Act of 1964 signed
President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act, a major legislative victory for the civil rights movement.
Awarded Nobel Peace Prize
Received the Nobel Peace Prize for combating racial inequality through nonviolent resistance; at the time he was the youngest laureate.
Voting Rights Act signed into law
The Voting Rights Act, a watershed civil‑rights law eliminating many barriers to African‑American voting, was enacted following Selma protests.
Arrested in Selma demonstrations (voting rights)
Arrested during voting‑rights demonstrations related to the Selma campaign.
March Against Fear and Chicago open‑housing initiatives
Participated in the March Against Fear and launched campaigns in Chicago to end discrimination in housing, employment, and schools (summer 1966).
Moved into Chicago slum tenement (Chicago campaign)
Began residential protest by moving into poor housing to draw attention to urban poverty and housing discrimination in Chicago.
Delivered 'Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence'
Publicly expanded focus to oppose the Vietnam War and link anti‑war stance to broader moral critique (speech at Riverside Church in April 1967).
Announced Poor People's Campaign
Announced plans for the Poor People's Campaign to demand economic justice and jobs for the poor of all races; planned a national occupation of Washington, D.C.
Fair Housing Act passed following assassination
Within a week of King's death, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1968 (Fair Housing Act), a major legislative milestone often linked to his legacy.
Supported Memphis sanitation workers' strike
Marched in support of striking sanitation workers in Memphis; his involvement tied civil‑rights to labor and economic justice issues.
Delivered 'I've Been to the Mountaintop' (final speech)
Gave the 'I've Been to the Mountaintop' speech in Memphis the night before his assassination, addressing the sanitation strike and the Poor People's Campaign.
Assassinated in Memphis (Lorraine Motel)
Shot and killed while standing on the Lorraine Motel balcony in Memphis, Tennessee; James Earl Ray was convicted for the assassination.
Funeral and national unrest
Funeral held (April 9, 1968) in Atlanta; King's assassination prompted riots in cities nationwide with many arrests.
Grammy Award (posthumous recognition recorded)
Posthumous recognition: Grammy Award (1970) for spoken‑word recordings of his speeches.
Presidential Medal of Freedom (posthumous)
Posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter (1977).
Federal observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day begins
The federal holiday honoring King was first observed in 1986 (state and local observances began in earlier years, e.g., 1971 in some places).
Boston University inquiry on dissertation plagiarism (panel finding)
A 1991 committee concluded portions of King's 1955 dissertation included unattributed passages; the university attached a letter to the dissertation but did not revoke the degree.
Congressional Gold Medal (posthumous)
Posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2003 in recognition of his leadership and legacy.
Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial dedicated
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., was dedicated in 2011 honoring his legacy.
Key Achievement Ages
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