The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Introduction

Culture’s understanding of the person of Martin Luther King Jr. is limited to historical accounts and their misinterpretation if the primary source information is not gone to. Thankfully, for this complex and dynamic man, culture has been left with thousands of papers written by the passionate advocate of peace. Organized and edited by Clayborne Carson, history professor at Stanford, The Papers of Martin Luther King Jr. in multiple volumes has been published. In this thick tomb is a much fuller look at the man from childhood to his untimely death. In these papers the soul of King is revealed, as his intellectual and rhetorical prowess grows each year. A valuable study for any student of history, civil rights, or peace. 

The Passion of Peace

It was in 1997 that Mrs. Corletta Scott King granted the permission to the King Papers Project to examine the many volumes of papers found in the King home. Going through this mass of history; the most significant finding was a battered cardboard box that held more than two hundred folders containing documents King used to prepare his celebrated sermons. This private collection that King kept in his study sheds considerable light on the theology and preaching preparation of one of the most noted orators of the modern era. (Amazon)

Going through these papers it became immediately clear that from the youngest age, King was always concerned by the issue of racism, and motivated to help the movement of peace. King understood that violence is a reflection of the nature of prejudice, and was unwavering in his dedication to peace. He wrote “The non-violent resistor not only avoids external, physical violence, but he avoids internal violence of spirit. He not only refuses to shoot his opponent, but he refuses to hate him. And he stands with understanding, goodwill at all times” (Suttle). The Papers Project is akin to a large autobiography as King wrote throughout his life about his approach to nonviolent justice. 

Understanding the value of the fullest exposition of the message of King is what motivated Carson and his team to organize and edit the papers. In seven volumes, King’s life, passion, and brilliance comes shining through;

His enduring message can be charted through his years as a seminary student, as pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, as a leader of the Montgomery bus boycott, and, ultimately, as an internationally renowned proponent of human rights who saw himself mainly as a preacher and ‘advocate of the social gospel.’ (Amazon)

The collection of his writings consist of letters, sermons, papers, and personal reflections. King understood that racism is taught, just as violence is condoned. In Letter from Birmingham Jail he writes that the essential function of education “is to teach one to think intensively and to think critically. But education which stops with efficiency may prove the greatest menace to society. The most dangerous criminal may be the man gifted with reason, but with no morals” (Jones). Many people know King by his quotes, which are powerful, but sometimes taken out of the context which dulls their impact. It is the context which turns quotes from pithy platitudes into much deeper reflections on the philosophic implications of the quotes. Those who desire to explore the themes of peace, racism, and faith would strongly benefit from reading selections of the works.

The Power of King for Today

After all, King’s words have lost none of their application in contemporary America and the world. Racism and violence which stems from it plague people daily, hourly, for the flag stands at half-mast more than ever before. Understanding the root cause of this in his life, King wrote;

Moreover, I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial outside agitator idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds. (Suttle)

In the wake of so much racism and violence today, King’s message and his writings are all the more valuable. For the mechanics of peace are not what is familiar to people today. I The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. Vol. V. he writes, “The nonviolent approach does not immediately change the heart of the oppressor. It first does something to the hearts and souls of those committed to it. It gives them new self-respect; it calls up resources of strength and courage” (Suttle). Just as it was for King it is very challenging and dangerous to stand up to the status quo (which is often violent) and many people who have done so have paid the price of their reputations, injuries, jail, and even their very lives. However, to this King says, “If a man hasn’t discovered something he will die for, he isn’t fit to live” (Jones). The essential core of this statement is an indictment into the heart of each individual to discover and create their own reason for living. 

If people do only what they are told, following the status quo, culture will only be what it has been. However, like King, so many who challenge the status quo are called criminals, or today terrorists (or enemy combatants). From this context is does not seem like much has changed in terms of racism and violence since King’s time, in fact it seems to be getting worse. A hate crime is committed every hour in America, and the rates of mass shootings, and police violence continue to skyrocket. King saw this as a crisis of spirit, writing, “The means by which we live have outdistanced the ends for which we live. Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men” (Jones). So true, and so essential to remember today. 

The Man Behind the Rhetoric 

One of the benefits of reading the more complete papers is seeing more of the humanity of the man which history has removed into a more mythologized state which is less approachable. After all, King was a human, and with a more full understanding of the context of the times, apparent inconsistencies can be rectified and a newfound; respect for King the fallible human being -- the libertine, the deal maker who betrayed colleagues, the indecisive grandstander who depended on the militant daring of others (for example, in the Birmingham insurgency in 1963, which was salvaged only when the firebrand James Bevel unleashed his ‘kids’ army,’ deploying hundreds of youngsters to face down Bull Connor's police dogs and fire hoses). (Reider)

Above all, King was an idealistic, a purist, and whenever such a person “steps down” their philosophy to act is reality is becomes distorted out of the necessity of interacting with others, and the extreme limitations this creates. Any violence which was done on King’s behalf or benefit was still probably felt as a deep wound to his heart which always remained steadfast in nonviolence. During his Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1964, King emphasized;

Nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and moral questions of our time: the need for man to overcome oppression and violence without resorting to oppression and violence. Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love. (Sutlle)

The Paper of Martin Luther King cover the gamut of the complex emotional experience of the man, the leader, the father, and the friend. The collected works reveal and reinforce that King felt himself to be a spiritual leader for humanity out of necessity. This is because he believed, “But I am also concerned about our moral uprightness and the health of our souls. Therefore I must oppose any attempt to gain our freedom by the methods of malice, hate, and violence that have characterized our oppressors” (Sutlle). Thus, while still offering compassion, the advocate of peace must never be drawn into the pathos of hate which so desires companionship. He continues, “Hate is just as injurious to the hater as it is to the hated. Like an unchecked cancer, hate corrodes the personality and eats away its vital unity. Many of our inner conflicts are rooted in hate” (Sutlle). This has only grown more polarized today (Barooah).

Drama is as Drama Does

Some have accused King of plagiarism in his many papers, but this an inaccurate understanding of how King wrote, and also a misunderstanding of how appropriations have changed over time. In his complete papers, the editors address clearly and unemotionally the controversial issue of King's plagiarism as a student, noting that although there is no evidence that King knowingly plagiarized, his written work is ‘flawed by unacknowledged textual appropriations.’ The editors’ citations from the other works involved allow readers to make their own judgments. (Buffalo & Erie County Public Library)

This could be linked to the headlong passion with which King wrote, a belief that the allusion/appropriation would be clear enough to be recognized, or based on the fact that King did not seek to publish all his work and so did not write with such clarity. Nevertheless there is much more authentic material than any shade of “plagiarized” and it is likely King saw the unified theory of his ideas throughout the many places he read, calling them to stand by his efforts like sentries for peace (King and Carson). However, this is only a small accusation in the drop of the huge legacy of the peacemaker, and is simple to overlook

Conclusion

The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. are as full and passionate as the life of the man was, and give readers a chance to delve into the context which can bring so much of his personal verve to life. The legend of the peacemaker is real even in all the entrapments of the cultural context into which he moved. The papers reveal his development, his love for his fellow man, and his unwavering dedication to peace based on his strong faith in the brotherhood of creation that humanity remains.

Works Cited

Amazon.com. “The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Volume VI: Advocate of the Social Gospel, September 1948-March 1963.” Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com/Papers-Martin-Luther-King-Jr/dp/0520248740

Barooah, Jahnabi. “Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes: Famous Quotations From MLK’s Speeches, Letters And Sermons.” The Huffington Post, 14 Jan. 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/14/martin-luther-king-quotes_n_1205698.html

Buffalo & Erie County Public Library. “The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr.” Buffalolib.org, 2016. Retrieved from: https://www.buffalolib.org/vufind/Record/683957/Reviews

Jones, Melanie. “Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes: From 'Letter from a Birmingham Jail' to 'Why We Can't Wait'.” IBT, 16 Jan 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.ibtimes.com/martin-luther-king-jr-quotes-letter-birmingham-jail-why-we-cant-wait-395994

King, Martin Luther and Clayborne Carson. The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. Berkeley: University Of California Press, 1960. Retrieved from: https://books.google.com/books?id=TU_HozbJSC8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=The+Papers+of+Martin+Luther+King,+Jr.&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiHqrLeo-fNAhVKxYMKHVqdDwYQ6AEIHjAA#v=onepage&q=The%20Papers%20of%20Martin%20Luther%20King%2C%20Jr.&f=false

Rieder, Nathan. “Who Was Martin Luther King Jr.?” New York Times, 8 Feb. 2004. Retrieved from: http://www.nytimes.com/ref/books/review/08RIEDERT.html

Suttle, Tim. “Ten Great Martin Luther King Jr. Quotes On Non-Violence.” Paperback Theology, 18 Jan. 2016. Retrieved from: http://www.patheos.com/blogs/paperbacktheology/2016/01/ten-great-martin-luther-king-jr-quotes-on-non-violence.html