King, Martin Luther, Jr. (1929–1968)

Although controversial to this day, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., has become the quintessential icon of the American civil rights movement. King was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Michael King, Sr. (who later changed his name and his son's to Martin Luther King) and Alberta Williams King. His father and maternal grandfather (Rev. A. D. Williams) both pastored the Ebenezer Baptist Church and held leadership roles in the local National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) chapter. At 15, King enrolled in Atlanta's Morehouse College, where he was described as “an ordinary student” but displayed the extraordinary oratorical talent that would be a hallmark of his career. King went on to graduate work at Pennsylvania's Crozer Theological Seminary, and earned a PhD in ...