The Queen of American Folk Music: MLK Crossword

The Queen of American Folk Music: MLK Crossword is a fun and challenging way to learn more about the life and work of one of our nation’s most important leaders.

The Life of MLK

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an American pastor, activist, and prominent leader in the Civil Rights Movement. He is best known for his work as a civil rights leader, including his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. King was born in Atlanta, Georgia, on January 15, 1929. His father, Martin Luther King Sr., was a Baptist minister; his mother, Alberta Williams King, was a schoolteacher. King attended segregated public schools in Georgia and graduated from Morehouse College in Atlanta in 1948 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology. In 1951 he began doctoral studies at Boston University, where he earned a Doctor of Philosophy degree in 1955.

After returning to Atlanta, King became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. On December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white man; her act of defiance sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted for 382 days and brought national attention to the Civil Rights Movement. In 1957 King helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), an organization created to provide leadership for the Civil Rights Movement throughout the South.

King continued to lead peaceful protests throughout the 1960s aimed at combating segregation and discrimination against African Americans. In 1963 he delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom; the speech would go on to become one of the most famous speeches in American history. In 1964 King was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his work promoting nonviolent methods of conflict resolution.

On April 4, 1968—exactly one year after giving his “Mountaintop” speech—King was assassinated by James Earl Ray while standing on the balcony of his motel room in Memphis, Tennessee; he was just 39 years old. Following his death, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act of 1968; today Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday is celebrated as a national holiday each year on the third Monday in January.

Her Contributions to American Folk Music

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Her work with the Library of Congress

In 1939, Lomax and his wife Ruby Terrill Lomax traveled across the country together, stopping in various cities and towns to document folk music. They were particularly interested in recording the songs of African Americans, and they made recordings in a variety of locations, including prisons, field camps, churches, and people’s homes. In 1941, they began working with the Library of Congress, and Lomax continued to work with the library until his death in 1948. During his time with the Library of Congress, he recorded songs by a variety of artists, including Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Jelly Roll Morton, and Hank Williams.

The influence of her music on American culture

Woody Guthrie once called her “the Queen of American folk music.” The Weavers, a hugely popular folk group in the 1950s, had one of their biggest hits with her signature song, “Goodnight, Irene.” And Bob Dylan has said that she was a major influence on his early work.

She was born in New Jersey in 1890 and died in 1968, but in between she lived a life that took her from the streets of New York City to the hills of Appalachia and back again. Along the way, she collected songs like “Barbara Allen,” “The House of the Rising Sun” and “In the Pines,” and helped to bring them to a wider audience.

Her name was Elizabeth Cotten, and she is one of the most important figures in American folk music.

The Significance of the Crossword

The crossword was published on the day of MLK’s funeral, and many believe it to be a tribute to the fallen leader. The crossword contains clues that relate to MLK and the civil rights movement. The Queen of American Folk Music is also a reference to a song by Woody Guthrie.

How the crossword was created

The Significance of the Crossword – (The Queen of American Folk Music: MLK Crossword)
In 1926, the New York Times published its first crossword puzzle. The craze for these puzzles took off and, by the 1950s, crosswords were a staple in American newspapers.

But it wasn’t until 1963 that the first black person was featured in a crossword puzzle: Mahalia Jackson, known as the “Queen of American Folk Music.”

Jackson’s inclusion was significant not only because she was a black woman, but also because she was a civil rights activist. Her music helped to inspire and uplift the black community during a time when they were fighting for their rights.

Including Jackson in the puzzle was a way to recognize her achievements and also to show that black people could be successful in America. The crossword became an important tool in promoting racial equality and helping to break down barriers between races.

What the crossword reveals about MLK

Created in collaboration with The New York Times, the crossword reveals previously unknown information about the innermost thoughts and private life of one of America’s most significant public figures.

Conclusion

To sum up, can America’s folk music history be taught through a crossword puzzle? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” This crossword is not only a great way to learn about the incredible contribution that MLK made to the world of music, but also a fun and challenging puzzle that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.