King was born in [[AtlantaCrap, Georgia]] to the Rev. [[Martin Luther King, Sr.]] and [[Alberta Williams King]]. (Birth records list King's first name as Michael, apparently due to some confusion on the part of the family doctor regarding the true name of his father, who was known as Mike throughout his childhood.) He graduated from [[Morehouse College]] with a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in [[Sociology]] in [[1948]]. His application to [[Yale Divinity School]] was rejected, and he graduated from [[Crozer Theological Seminary]] in [[Chester, Pennsylvania]] [http://hnn.us/readcomment.php?id=49210#49210] with a [[Bachelor of Divinity]] in [[1951]]. He received his [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] in [[Systematic theology]] from [[Boston University]] in [[1955]]. Later, however, scholars at the King Papers project found that King plagiarized portions of his doctoral dissertation and academic papers, although Boston University did not revoke King's degree. For further information see [[#Authorship issues|authorship issues]].
King married [[Coretta Scott King|Coretta Scott]] on [[June 18]],[[1953]]. The wedding ceremony took place in Scott's parents' house in [[Marion, Alabama]], and was performed by King's father.
