Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection: Subseries 1.2: Correspondence: Letters, Telegrams, and Cards Received after Stabbing in Harlem
Scope and Contents of the Subseries
The subseries is comprised of letters, greeting cards, telegrams, postcards, and other correspondence received by Martin Luther King, Jr. following his stabbing by Izola Ware Curry on September 21, 1958. The correspondence from a variety of individuals and organizations convey well wishes, offers of assistance, prayers, concerns for his safety, and admiration of his work. Donations for his medical costs, convalescence, and the civil rights movement were often included. Opinions regarding his attacker, invitations, suggestions, and requests for his book are also discussed. Some of the letters are adverse, with criticism of the civil rights movement, King’s activities, and disparaging remarks. In addition to the mail Martin Luther King, Jr. received, the subseries also has carbon copies of his replies that express his thanks, inability to accept engagements, and updates on his recovery.
Many of the items in this subseries have annotations written on them presumably by secretaries after they were received. There are date received stamps, addresses, amounts of contributions, terms identifying the type of sender, underlining, check marks, and numbers. These annotations are written in an unknown hand unless otherwise noted in the folder description.
Dates
- Creation: 1958
Language of Materials
Materials are in English.
Restrictions on Access
Access is restricted to digital surrogates available in Archives and Special Collections Department of the Robert W. Woodruff Library.
Restrictions on Use
All documents in this collection either are protected by copyright or are the property Morehouse College, and/or the copyright holder as appropriate. Permission to consult the Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection does not automatically include permission to publish from the Collection. Permission to publish or quote from previously unpublished materials or from materials under copyright must first be obtained from the copyright holder. Requests for permission to publish any of Dr. King’s copyrighted speeches, sermons, books or other writings, in whole or in part, shall be addressed to Intellectual Properties Management, Inc., 449 Auburn Ave., Atlanta, Georgia, 30312.
Extent
12.67 Linear feet
Arrangement of the Subseries
The subseries is arranged alphabetically by sender.
Subject
- King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968 (Person)
- Ballou, Maude L., 1926- (Person)
- Belafonte, Harry, 1927- (Person)
- Bunche, Ralph J. (Ralph Johnson), 1904-1971 (Person)
- Jackson, Mahalia, 1911-1972 (Person)
- Mays, Benjamin E. (Benjamin Elijah), 1894-1984 (Person)
- Nixon, Richard M. (Richard Milhous), 1913-1994 (Person)
- Wofford, Harris (Person)
- AFL-CIO (Organization)
- Alabama State College (Organization)
- Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity (Organization)
- Dexter Avenue Baptist Church (Montgomery, Ala.) (Organization)
- Howard University (Organization)
- International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (Organization)
- Montgomery Improvement Association (Organization)
- National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (Organization)
- United Nations (Organization)
- United Packinghouse Workers of America (Organization)
- Title
- Morehouse College Martin Luther King, Jr. Collection
- Subtitle
- Subseries 1.2: Correspondence: Letters, Telegrams, and Cards Received after Stabbing in Harlem
- Author
- Finding aid prepared by Bridget T. Lerette
- Date
- 2008 October
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
- Language of description note
- Finding aid written in English.
Repository Details
Part of the Robert W. Woodruff Library of the Atlanta University Center, Inc. Repository