Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Testament of Hope (various essays) (1958-1964)
Stewart Gardner
Introduction
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) rose to prominence as a civil rights leader with the Montgomery bus boycott of 1955. From 1957, he led the Southern Christian Leadership Conference until he was assassinated in 1968. In 1964, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Over those years, he led many direct actions, wrote many articles, and gave many speeches in support of civil rights for African Americans and all Americans. You have likely encountered many of his most famous writings and speeches, including his “I Have a Dream” speech at the Washington Mall in 1963, his “Letter from the Birmingham Jail,” and his final “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” speech.
We will read several short pieces from the middle of his active years in which he explains some of the basic tenets of his understanding of the situation of American and Christian ideals and their pertinence to race relations.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion
- What kind of love is behind the effectiveness of non-violent protest? Who does it initially support and how does it work in the longer run?
- What was the importance for Dr. King of seeing “the depths and strength of sin?”
- What does he mean when he says that “our generation” must “complete a process of democratization which our nation has too long developed too slowly?” How do you think Jefferson or Lincoln would respond to this?
- What makes the ultimate worth of a human person, in King’s view?
- King associates desegregation with law, and the ultimate goal of integration with something beyond law. What is this thing beyond, and how may it become effective?
- Why does Dr. King believe that “Negroes Are Not Moving Too Fast?”
A Testament of Hope – Martin Luther King, Jr.
- An Experiment in Love (1958) (pgs 16-20)
- Pilgrimage to Nonviolence (1960) (pgs 35-40)
- Equality Now: The President Has the Power (1961) (pgs 152-159)
- The Ethical Demands for Integration (1963) (pgs 117-125)
- Negroes are Not Moving Too Fast (1964) (pgs 176-181)
Readers will need to create an account and borrow this text to be able to read the following essays.
- Create a free account in Internet Archives
- Go to Sign Up, which acts as a digital library card
- Use your Google account (university account if possible)
- Select Borrow (the book is available and automatically renews each time you select Borrow)
- Return to this page to click on each essay link
Source: King, M. L., Jr. (1991). A testament of hope: The essential writings and speeches of Martin Luther King, Jr. (J. M. Washington, Ed.). HarperSanFrancisco. https://archive.org/details/testamentofhopet00king
