From 1956 until his assassination in 1968, Martin Luther King Junior, the son of a Baptist preacher, was the dominant leader in African Americans’ quest for civil rights and a better life in general. Martin Luther King firmly believed the power of love, essential to his idea of nonviolent resistance, could serve as the most effective weapon against a racist and unjust social system. His method of nonviolent resistance greatly helped his people achieve freedom and fairer treatment in later years to come.
King studies the philosophy of Nonviolent Resistance
Prior to becoming a Civil Rights leader King attended Cozer Theological Seminary in Pennsylvania. Throughout his studies Martin studied a number of famous Theologians, but none appealed more to him than Ghandi’s teachings on nonviolence. Coming from a Christian Baptist family, King believed the love ethic of Jesus Christ can be applied to the conflict between the African Americans and the white communities in the United States. King firmly maintained that Guidance from a loving God equipped with the idea of nonviolence is the only solutions to ending racial discrimination against his people and in helping his people achieve civil rights.
Shortly after receiving his doctorate degree, he received a pastorate position at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. After settling in, King immediately put his idea of nonviolent resistance into action.
King’s key points about the Philosophy of nonviolence
As pastor and civil rights leader, King affirmed six key points about the philosophy of nonviolence. First, he argued that, even though nonviolence is commonly portrayed as cowardly, it is not. The nonviolent protestor, according to King, uses his mind to effectively convince the opponent that he is in the wrong. It is also requires great emotional and spiritual courage to stand up against injustice.
Second, the nonviolent protestor does not seek to disgrace the opponent, but to seek his understanding and friendship. This principle worked in King’s organized boycott of the Montgomery bus system after an African American woman, Rosa Parks, refused to give her seat to a white man. The boycott led the Supreme Court to render the Alabama laws of segregation on public transit as unconstitutional.
Thirdly, nonviolence is directed against evil, not the people who are committing the evil. The fight was not between two races, but between justice and injustice.
Fourth, nonviolent resistance is a willingness to accept suffering without retaliating. Retaliatory violence would only cause more chaos, trauma and hatred. After his house was bombed by violent white protestors during the Montgomery bus boycott, King reminded his angry people that they must love their white brothers regardless of their actions. Accepting suffering would lead to a change in heart and mind of the opponent.
Martin’s fifth key point on nonviolence was that God is always on the side of truth. Therefore, the African American activists should keep faith that justice will happen in the future.
The sixth key point was most central to Martin’s method of nonviolent resistance. He believed that nonviolent resistance prevented physical and emotional violence. The method of nonviolent resistance is powerful in that it can overcome all bitterness and hatred and replace them with love.
The power of King’s method of Nonviolent Resistance
King’s method of nonviolent resistance did eventually help his people gain justice and equal civil rights. His tragic assassination in April of 1968 not only led to a series of riots across the nation, it caused many people to realize the power and purity of King’s method of nonviolent resistance. King’s nonviolent advocacy of a program of moderation and inclusion in the face of violence led future generations to revere him as a humble and honourable civil rights leader and a national hero. Shortly after his assassination President Johnson declared a national mourning day in his honour. Nine years later, in 1977, President Carter awarded Martin Luther King the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Sources
A&E Television Network, "Martin Luther Jr. King Biography (1929-1968)" (2007)
http://www.biography.com/search/article.do (accessed 2 January 2009).Jessica McElrath, “Martin Luther King’s Philosophy on Nonviolent Resistance,” http://afroamhistory.about.com/od/martinlutherking/a/mlks_philosophy.htm (accessed 2 January 2009).
Sanderson Beck, World Peace Efforts since Ghandi Volume 2. 2nd Ed. Copyright by Sanderson Beck 2003-2005.
