The Intellectual Landscape Of Martin Luther King's Short Life

In the following essay I will attempt to provide a brief illustration of the intellectual landscape that King developed over his short life as well as touch major influential experiences that contributed to King’s ethical and theological developments. I will use these important highlights to demonstrate the impact that had upon his quest for truth and how it ultimately determined his fate. Lastly, I will look at the implications this has upon the Christian with a particular focus on the implications for my own ministry context. To begin it is important to first reflect on the childhood experiences and the culture that King was raised. As Burrow poignantly notes, “Martin Luther King was a human being, no more or less so than any member of

Specifically, because of Plessy v. Fergusion and the “separate but equal” doctrine, laws required the physical separation of all blacks from white people in public places such as schools, theaters, restaurants, restrooms, trains, streetcars, and so forth to demonstrate the supremacy of the whites over the blacks. All whites, were made superior to all blacks regardless of their class. These notions did not just happen over night, but were gradually and systematically incorporated into the American legal system to rationalize the institution of slavery and the precept of black inferiority. This context combined with the harsh realities of the great depression left great imprints on King that would last throughout his short life helping him to later make the connection between race, economics, and the quality of life for the American citizens. This was central element that is consistent throughout many of Kings writings and speeches as he led the civil rights

Moreover, his tradition was one that protested against racial and discriminatory injustices of many kinds. He saw how his father stood up to the enforcers of law and continually demand respect. As a pastor, he witnessed his father’s leadership not only in the congregation, but within the NAACP in Atlanta, fighting for teacher’s salaries and against Jim Crow. From his mother, he learned his own sense of self-worth, a lesson that would not be taken for granted as it planted a seed within her son that would help give him courage when the world would challenge his sense of