Summary Of On Civil Disobedience

When King was 15 years old, Morehouse College (the same that his father and grandfather had attended) offered opportunities for anyone to join if they passed the entrance exam. King passed it, and so he became a freshman in college. He didn’t really know what he was working towards at first; he lost interest in becoming a preacher because the way his father preached brought displays of emotion that made King feel uncomfortable. He felt like it robbed religion’s dignity when people shouted “Amen!” or “Hallelujah!” throughout the service. He believed God’s message should be taken seriously. The president of Morehouse College, Dr. Benjamin Mays, was not only King’s mentor, he was also his friend. Mays was a minister, but he preached in a way that appealed to the listener’s intellect, not the emotions. This inspired King to get into the ministry after all, and helped him realize that a minister can still be a serious thinker.

He read a lot, and one of the books he read during college was called On Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau. The book taught how one should refuse to cooperate with an evil system. That got King thinking; why weren’t they doing that? Why weren’t they standing up for what was right? He worked harder than ever to become a minister, and at the age of 18 his father invited him to preach a trial sermon at Ebenezer Baptist Church. Everyone loved it, and so King became the associate pastor of the church. King Sr. was very proud of his son’s decision to become the third generation