Have you ever wondered if Martin L. King had a family or was married? Well, he did. Coretta was her name; he had four children with her, Yolanda King, Martin L. King III, Dexters Scott King and Bernice King. Born with the name Coretta Scott Smith James on the 18th of June 1953 on the lawn of her parents she got married and became Coretta Scott King. Even though she was known for being Martin’s spouse she also took a big part as a Civil Rights activist.

Coretta was born in Heiberger, Alabama on April 27,1927 and raised in her parents farm; she was the third of four children. Coretta grew up in a stable family. Her parents where Obadiah “Obe” Scott (1899-1998) and Bernice McMurray Scott (1904-1996). Coretta’s father “Obe” ran a barber shop from their home and he also owned a lumber mill, which was later burned down by his white neighbors after he had refused to sell the mill to them. Coretta described herself as a tomboy because she would wrestle boys and climb trees. Her mother and her siblings encouraged her to be more ladylike as she became older.

Coretta’s parents wanted all of their children to be educated. Coretta and all of her siblings attended a one room elementary school 5 miles (8 km) away from their home. The later attended Lincoln Normal School, which was 9 miles (14 km) away from the Scott home. Their mother drove the bus to school, she could do so because of segregation. Coretta later graduated valedictorian from Lincoln Normal School in 1945, where she played the piano, sang in chorus and played the trumpet. She enrolled in Antioch in Yellow spring, Ohio where she won a scholarship to New England Conservatory of Music in Boston Coretta’s sister was the first African American to go to Antioch College (Edythe) were Coretta was later accepted.

She later transferred to the college of New England Conservatory of Music in Boston. While she was at the New England Conservatory she met Martin Luther King, Jr. After completing her degree in Piano and Voice at the New England Conservatory she moved to Montgomery, Alabama on the September of 1964 with her husband Martin L. King, Jr. Before long they they were already in the middle of the bus boycott. Martin was also elected leader of the protest movement.

Coretta played an important part in the civil rights movement: but her husband Martin wasn’t happy with her being involved in a public part he wanted her to focus on raising their four children. Coretta took part in the Montgomery bus boycott, women’s rights and LGBT Rights. Martin’s Attempt to bring together a lunch counter caused him to go to jail, giving his wife an opportunity to talk to John F. Kennedy, who called her. Later Bobby Kennedy released Martin L. King, Jr. She “expressed her belief that there would be no other Martin Luther King because he comes around once in uh, century or maybe once in a thousand years” (Wikepedia).

Martin was assassinated on April 4, 1968. Leaving Coretta a widow. Not very long after Martin’s death Coretta had a conversation with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (JFK’s wife) and Activist Josephine Baker.She asked them to take their husbands place as a leader of the civil rights movement, The both declined. Thats when she figured she would have to take it herself.

Even though she might not be very well known, Coretta played a very important part in the civil rights movement. She also helped Martin and was always there for him Coretta then died on January 30, 2006 in Playas de Rosarito from a respiratory failure; she was 78. Over 14,000 people went to her funeral and they buried her in Atlanta Georgia next to her husband. George W. bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush and Jimmy carter attended Coretta’s funeral.

The Interstate highway is a great thing for America because it increased the dominance of the automobile. The highway was started in 1956. The development of the Interstate highway wasn’t good for all; it was tragic for all these small towns in America.

Many changes were made to make us the America we are today. Small towns didn’t care about the new America, since all these small towns were dying. The people who lived in these small towns were forced to the big city causing an over population. The over population caused metropolitan areas to be built, but since all these people were being mixed up they had no respect for each other. These are some examples of bad things that came out of the Interstate highway.

Dwight D. Eisenhower thought building the Interstate highway was a great advancement for America but not everyone thought the same way. That’s when the freeway revolt was created. To some point in the 1960s Americans came to see the negative outcome of the Interstate highway. People started to protect schools, parks, and neighborhoods. In other cities where African American had little say the most common thing was that the Interstate highway would be built through a black neighborhood. This was also the choice that had the support of the whites.

However there were many great things coming out of the Interstate highway such as modernizing and increasing in the use of the automobile. You could travel to places faster, people started to modernize, and changes in the economy were made. Citizens started to buy cars. People had up to three cars in one household one for the mom, one for the dad and one for the oldest child. This was a great lift up for America.

Small towns didn’t want the Interstate highway to develop. Many good and bad things came out of the Interstate highway for example the Interstate highway caused many small towns to die but imagine how America would be today without the Interstate highway. It would be so hard to go to school or go to work. The highway also developed many problems such as an over population in the big city. Going through all these problems made us modernize and helped us become the America we are today.