a doctoral degree in systematic theology in 1955. King’s public-speaking abilities developed slowly during his college years, but he won speech several speech contests while an undergraduate.While in Boston, King met Coretta Scott, a music student from Alabama. They were married in 1953 and would have four children. In 1954, King accepted his first position as pastor in a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama (Encyclopedia, CD-ROM).Montgomery had problems about the mistreatment of blacks on city buses. On December1, 1955, Rosa Parks, a leading member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), was ordered by a bus driver to give up her seat to a white passenger. When she refused, she was arrested and taken to jail. Several members realized that this could be an event that could cause the blacks to riot in protest.King was soon chosen as president of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), the organization that directed the bus boycott. This boycott lasted for over one year and caused incidents of violence against black protesters, including the bombing of King’s home. In 1956, a lawsuit in federal court was pending, seeking injunction against Montgomery’s segregating practices. The federal court ruled in favor of the MIA, ordering the city’s buses to be desegregated.In 1957, King helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an organization of black churches and ministers that challenged racial segregation. King and other SCLC members encouraged the use of nonviolent direct action protest. These activities included marches, demonstrations, and boycotts. King’s goal was to develop strong relationships with the leading white ministers in the North whom he could share his moral views with (Encyclopedia, CD-ROM).McKinzie 5During a demonstration in Birmingham, King was arrested and sent to jail. He wrote a letter from his jail cell to local c...
