The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr., Volume IV: Symbol of the Movement, January 1957-December 1958Acclaimed by Ebony magazine as "one of those rare publishing events that generate as much excitement in the cloistered confines of the academy as they do in the general public," The Papers of Martin Luther King, Jr. chronicles one of the twentieth century's most dynamic personalities and one of the nation's greatest social struggles. King's call for racial justice and his faith in the power of nonviolence to engender a major transformation of American society is movingly conveyed in this authoritative multivolume series. In Volume IV, with the Montgomery bus boycott at an end, King confronts the sudden demands of celebrity while trying to identify the next steps in the burgeoning struggle for equality. Anxious to duplicate the success of the boycott, he spends much of 1957 and 1958 establishing the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. But advancing the movement in the face of dogged resistance, he finds that it is easier to inspire supporters with his potent oratory than to organize a mass movement for social change. Yet King remains committed: "The vast possibilities of a nonviolent, non-cooperative approach to the solution of the race problem are still challenging indeed. I would like to remain a part of the unfolding development of this approach for a few more years." King's budding international prestige is affirmed in March 1957, when he attends the independence ceremonies in Ghana, West Africa. Two months later his first national address, at the "Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom," is widely praised, and in June 1958, King's increasing prominence is recognized with a long-overdue White House meeting. During this period King also cultivates alliances with the labor and pacifist movements, and international anticolonial organizations. As Volume IV closes, King is enjoying the acclaim that has greeted his first book, Stride Toward Freedom, only to suffer a near-fatal stabbing in New York City. |
Contents
Introduction | 1 |
Chronology | 39 |
Editorial Principles | 57 |
List of Abbreviations | 63 |
Jan 1957 To L Harold DeWolf | 89 |
Jan 1957 To Robert Johnson | 97 |
Jan 1957 A Statement to the South and the Nation | 103 |
Jan 1957 Outline Address to MIA Mass Meeting | 109 |
July 1957 To Ramona Garrett | 235 |
Aug 1957 Conquering SelfCenteredness Sermon | 248 |
Aug 1957 From Medgar Wiley Evers | 259 |
Aug 1957 To T Y Rogers | 266 |
Sept 1957 From Richard M Nixon | 277 |
Oct 1957 From Joan Daves | 286 |
Oct 1957 Interview by Martin Agronsky for Look Here | 292 |
Oct 1957 To Alfred Hassler | 302 |
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Common terms and phrases
1957 Montgomery Abernathy Africa Agronsky American applause April Atlanta Avenue Baptist Church Bayard Rustin bombing bus boycott Christian civil rights College Committee Coretta Coretta Scott King Crusade DABCC December Dexter Avenue Baptist E. D. Nixon Eisenhower evil feel friends Gandhi Ghana gomery hate integration January Jesus June justice King's Leaders Conference leadership Letter to Martin Levison Little Rock live M. L. King March Martin Luther King meeting minister MLK:mlb MLKP-MBU Mont Montgomery bus boycott Montgomery Improvement Association moral N.Y. TLS NAACP nation Negro Leaders Nixon Nkrumah nonviolence nonviolent resistance organization pastor persons Philip Randolph Prayer Pilgrimage President problem Program race relations racial Ralph Abernathy Roy Wilkins Rustin SCLC segregation Shuttlesworth sincerely social South Southern speak stand Stride Toward Freedom struggle talk Telegram things tion University violence vote Washington Yeah York