1. AN I N D I V I D U AL
W O R K I N G F O R
M O R AL I T Y, J U S T I C E
AN D P E AC E
Martin Luther King Jr

2. 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.

3. 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.

4. 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.”

5. 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”

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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.”

9. 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

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

11. 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 vote
 He 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

12. “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.”

13. 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 common
 King was arrested multiple times

14. Despite the Challenges
King continued to peacefully protest
 for equality,
 to maintain the dignity of all people, and
 to ensure the rights of all people, especially
in education and basic rights

15. 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