Martin Luther King Jr. Day ó Jan. 20Martin Luther King Jr. led the protests in Birmingham that led to television images of police attacking peaceful protests. As a result of the 1963 protests, Jim Crow segregation laws in Birmingham were repealed. King became a prominent national figure, and the civil rights movement gained national attention.After Martin Luther King Jr. received his two bachelorís degrees, he married his wife, Coretta Scott King. King continued his studies as a doctoral student in systematic theology. In 1955, King received his Ph.D. from Boston University.Martin Luther King,Jr. proved at a very young age that he was destined to become a great speaker. King won a contest for speaking during his junior year of high school. His academic prowess allowed him to skip grades nine and 12, and he started college at age15. King graduated from Morehouse College at just 19 years old with a degree in sociology. He then continued his studies at Crozer Theological Seminary; and, by 1951, when King was only 22 years old, he had earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Bachelor of Divinity degree.
