Growing up in Atlanta , Georgia , Martin Luther King Jr . entered public school at age 5 . In May , 1936 he was baptized , but the event made little impression on him . In May , 1941 , Martin was 12 years old when is grandmother , Jennie , died of a heart attack . The event was traumatic for Martin , more so because he was out watching a parade against his parents ’ wishes when she died . Distraught at the news , young Martin jumped from a second story window at the family home , allegedly attempting suicide .
King attended Booker T . Washington High School , where he was said to be a precocious student . He skipped both the ninth and eleventh grades , and entered Morehouse College in Atlanta at age 15 , in 1944 . He was a popular student , especially with his female classmates , but an unmotivated student who floated though his first two years . Although his family was deeply involved in the church and worship , young Martin questioned religion in general and felt uncomfortable with overly emotional displays of religious worship . This discomfort continued through much of his adolescence , initially leading him to decide against entering the ministry , much to his father ’ s dismay . But in his junior year , Martin took a Bible class , renewed his faith and began to envision a career in the ministry . In the fall of his senior year , he told his father of his decision .
Education and Spiritual Growth
In 1948 , Martin Luther King Jr . earned a sociology degree from Morehouse College and attended the liberal Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester , Pennsylvania . He thrived in all his studies , and was valedictorian of his class in 1951 , and elected student body president . He also earned a fellowship for graduate study . But Martin also rebelled against his father ’ s more conservative influence by drinking beer and playing pool while at college . He became involved with a white woman and went through a difficult time before he could break off the affair .
During his last year in seminary , Martin Luther King Jr . came under the guidance of Morehouse College President Benjamin E . Mays who influenced King ’ s spiritual development . Mays was an outspoken advocate for racial equality and encouraged King to view Christianity as a potential force for social change . After being accepted at several colleges for his doctoral study , including Yale and Edinburgh in Scotland , King enrolled in Boston University .
During the work on this doctorate , Martin Luther King Jr . met Coretta Scott , an aspiring singer and musician , at the New England Conservatory school in Boston . They were married in June 1953 and had four children , Yolanda , Martin Luther King III , Dexter Scott and Bernice . In 1954 , while still working on his dissertation , King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church of Montgomery , Alabama . He completed his Ph . D . and was award his degree in 1955 . King was only 25 years old .
Montgomery Bus Boycott
On March 2 , 1955 , a 15-year-old girl refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery city bus in violation of local law . Claudette Colvin was arrested and taken to jail . At first , the
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