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DR MARTIN LUTHER KING JR 
History will remember Martin Luther King as the figurehead of the civil rights movement, a hero for a generation and a nation, a martyr and the hammer that drove a huge nail into the coffin of segregation and prejudice in the South.
There is far more that can be said and written about this great leader, than we could ever do justice to here. Because of this, this page will offer a very brief biography of Dr. King, along with links to other resources on the internet and to places where you can read some of his speeches and his writing. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15, 1929 in Atlanta, GA, the son of a baptist preacher. He attended Booker T. Washington High School and then, because of high scores on his college entrance examinations, he entered Morehouse College, at the very young age of fifteen, without graduating from High School. He graduated from Morehouse in 1948 with a degree in sociology, he then enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary whilst at the same time, studying at the University of Pennsylvania. He was awarded a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Crozer in 1951. In September 1951, Martin Luther King, Jr. began doctoral studies in Systematic Theology at Boston University. His Ph.D. was awarded on June 5, 1955. Martin Luther King, Jr. married Coretta Scott, at her parents home in Marion, Alabama, on June 18, 1953. They would go on to have 4 children, Yolanda Denise, Martin Luther III, Dexter Scott and Bernice Albertine. He was ordained in February 1948 at the age of nineteen at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Atlanta, Georgia. Following his ordination, he became Assistant Pastor of Ebenezer Baptist Church. Once he had completed of his studies at Boston University, he accepted the call of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. He was the pastor of Dexter Avenue from September 1954 to November 1959, when he resigned to move to Atlanta to direct the activities of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. From 1960 until his death in 1968, he was co-pastor with his father at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Dr. King was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement and a founder and president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference from 1957 until his death in 1968. He was President of the Montgomery Improvement Association, which was responsible for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. He received numerous awards for his contribution to the civil rights movement, the most prestigious was the Nobel Peace Prize which was awarded in 1964. On April 4, 1968, Dr. King was assassinated whilst standing on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. James Earl Ray was arrested for the crime and sentenced to ninety-nine years in prison without ever coming to trial. In 1999 a jury of 12 citizens concluded that Loyd Jowers and governmental agencies including the City of Memphis, the State of Tennessee, and the federal government were party to the conspiracy to assassinate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Dr. King was buried on April 9, 1968. 
Links To Other Dr Martin Luther King Jr Internet Resources: The King Center. Nobel e-Museum - Martin Luther King Jr. The Martin Luther King Jr. Papers Project at Stamford University. The Seattle Times Interactive Tribute. Letter From Birmingham Jail - April 1963 I Have A Dream - August 1963 I've Been To The Mountaintop - April 1968 Booker T. Washington High School. Morehouse College. Crozer Theological Seminary. University of Pennsylvania. Boston University. Ebenezer Baptist Church. Dexter Avenue Baptist Church. SIGN UP TO OUR EMAIL NEWSLETTER If you would like us to keep you updated with changes and improvements to thatsalabama.com, please enter your email address here: If you would like to support thatsalabama.com with a donation via paypal, please click on this button: |
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