How did Gandhi’s guiding principles influence Martin Luther King Jr's actions during the 1960’s? Brent Kong Word Count: 1153 Contents Contents page 1 Investigation pages 2-6 Bibliography page 7-8 As stated by George S. Patton, “Prepare for the unknown by studying how others in the past have coped with the unforeseeable and the unpredictable”. All influential leaders throughout history were not self-made. They took inspiration from their predecessors. A primary example is Martin Luther King. He was a leader who shaped the outcome of the civil rights movement during a time of racism. Whites in America were seen as superior to colored people. People of color …show more content…
Gandhi believed that people should be fair and understanding of all perspectives. He promoted active love, that good should be returned in the face of evil. He maintained an attitude of impartiality and respect. Through fairness, Gandhi won the respect and confidence of his enemies. Instead of overpowering his enemies, Gandhi converted his enemies to his side. He wanted to avoid the mass destruction of war. In a similar fashion, Martin Luther King believed in the Christian idea of love. He used Jesus’ idea of ‘loving your enemies’ to urge followers to spread kindness. King named the concept of loving enemies “agape”. He described it as the “love of God operating in the human heart”. In both his sermons and papers, King expanded on the concept of agape. He spoke of it as a nonviolent way to improve relations. In one of his sermons, King preached: “Here we rise to the position of loving the person who does the evil deed while hating the deed that the person does”. King’s main principle of love came from Gandhi himself. His protest against racism exemplifies the core concepts of love. King’s sermons and papers reflect how love drives genuine social change. Following Gandhi, King took the civil rights movement a step further towards