Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. Ph.D., Boston University (January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Nobel Laureate, Baptist minister, and African American civil rights activist. He is one of the most significant leaders in U.S. history and in the modern history of non-violence, and is considered a hero, peacemaker and martyr by many people around the world. A decade and a half after his 1968 assassination, Martin Luther King Day, a U.S. holiday, was established in his honor. He also was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Background and family

King was born in Atlanta, Georgia to the Rev. Martin Luther King, Sr. and Alberta Williams King. (Birth records list King's first name as Michael, apparently due to some confusion on the part of the family doctor regarding the true name of his father, who was known as Mike throughout his childhood.) He graduated from Morehouse College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology in 1948. Later he graduated from Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania http://hnn.us/readcomment.php?id=49210#49210 with a Bachelor of Divinity in 1951. He received his Ph.D. in Systematic theology from Boston University in 1955.

Related Topics:
Atlanta, Georgia - Martin Luther King, Sr. - Alberta Williams King - Morehouse College - Bachelor of Arts - Sociology - 1948 - Crozer Theological Seminary - Chester, Pennsylvania - Bachelor of Divinity - 1951 - Ph.D. - Systematic theology - Boston University - 1955

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King married Coretta Scott on June 18,1953. The wedding ceremony took place in Scott's parents' house in Marion, Alabama, and was performed by King's father.

Related Topics:
Coretta Scott - June 18 - 1953 - Marion, Alabama

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King and Scott had four children:

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• Yolanda Denise (November 17, 1955, Montgomery, Alabama)
• Martin Luther III (October 23, 1957, Montgomery, Alabama)
• Dexter Scott (January 30, 1961, Atlanta, Georgia)
• Bernice Albertine (March 28, 1963, Atlanta, Georgia)

The four children all have one thing in common: They have followed their father's footsteps as civil rights activists, although pet issues and opinions differ among the King children.

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