A N I N D I V I D U A L W O R K I N G F O R

M O R A L I T Y, J U S T I C E A N D P E A C E

Martin Luther King Jr

Background of Martin Luther King Jr

Martin Luther King was born in Atlanta in 1929 to a school teacher and Baptist minister.

King’s family was very religious and he was immersed in the Church. He decided to become a minister.

King entered Morehouse College at the age of 15 and graduated in 1948 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology.

Background of Martin Luther King

King enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania where he graduated with a Bachelor of Divinity Degree in 1951

King began his ministry in 1954 as the pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama.

He received a Doctorate of Philosophy in Systematic Theology from Boston University on June 5, 1955.

King’s Motivation to Act

King’s motivation to act morally can be attributed to his background in faith as well as his education in theology.

Key Catholic teachings that influence his actions are related to the Church’s understanding of the dignity of the human person, most notably: Genesis and The Catechism of the Catholic Church:

"dignity of the human person is rooted in his or her creation in the image and likeness of God…all human beings in as much as they are created in the image of God, have the dignity of a person and should be treated equally.”

King’s Motivation to Act

King’s exposure to the world through his education pushed him to make a decision to act in response to the injustices of the world.

“[My study and travel to poorer countries revealed] the

complexity of man’s social involvement and the glaring

reality of collective evil”

King’s Context and Further Motivation

Massive disparity between the treatment of African Americans and ‘white’ Americans; lack of equality.

December 1, 1955, Rosa

Parks took a stand for her race by refusing to give her seat to a white passenger. This was the catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement.

Ethical and Moral Actions

1. King assumed a leadership role in the American Civil Rights Movement

Executive of National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NACCP)

Lead and organised Montgomery Bus Boycott eventually changed the laws around segregated buses

President of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)

Only used non-violent strategies to stand against oppression

Ethical Actions

“Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also

internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a

man, but you refuse to hate him.”

Ethical and Moral Actions

2. Promoted Justice and Peace across America and the World

King decided to visit India to learn how he could apply Gandhi’s strategies of non-violent protests successfully in the USA to preserve the dignity of the human person and promote justice and peace

Spoke over 2500 times and led nonviolent demonstrations as a result; his goal in these speeches was to spread the message of unity and peace – NOT that African American people deserved ‘better,’ but that each person should be treated the same.

Most notably, King gave his “I have a dream” speech at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

Actions led to Civil Rights Acts of 1964

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only

love can do that.”

Ethical and Moral Actions

3. King was involved in the “Poor People’s Campaign” to promote the idea that equality could only be achieved when the poorest people in the community were given fairer access to economic and social resources as well as the right to voteHe opposed the Vietnam War as he believed that the

money could be better spent on the country’s own disadvantaged

King believed aid was needed for people of all races; this led to the Economic Bill of Rights in America

“I want you to say that day that I tried to be right on the war question. I want you to

be able to say that day that I did try to feed the hungry. I want you to be able to

say that day that I did try in my life to clothe those who were naked. I want you to say on that day that I did try in my life to visit those who were in prison. And I want you to say that I tried to love and

serve humanity.”

Challenges

King was constantly harassed wherever he went; simply because of the colour of his skin and the beliefs that he held

He was under surveillance by the FBI for years, noted as “the most dangerous negro”

Many of the peaceful protests were attended by those who opposed King and the beliefs of his groups; they often were violent

Bomb threats and death threats were commonKing was arrested multiple times

Despite the Challenges

King continued to peacefully protest

for equality,to maintain the dignity of all people, andto ensure the rights of all people, especially

in education and basic rights

Legacy

Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated whilst supporting a worker’s strike in Tennessee.

Despite a man being arrested and charged with his death (as with many famous assassinations) there is much controversy and many conspiracy theories about his death.

King’s legacy is encompassed in the inalienable rights of the people that he fought for