To George D. Kelsey
Author: King, Martin Luther, Jr.
Date: March 31, 1958
Location: Montgomery, Ala.
Genre: Letter
Topic: Montgomery Bus Boycott
Nonviolence
Details
King asks one of his Morehouse College mentors for comments on a chapter from his manuscript. Kelsey returned the draft with extensive notes on 4 April.1
Dr. George D. Kelsey
Drew University
Madison, New Jersey
Dear Dr. Kelsey:
Enclosed is a rough draft—a very rough draft—of a chapter which is to appear in a book that I am writing on the Montgomery Bus struggle. This happens to be one of the chapters dealing with the theoretical phase of the Movement—the philosophy of non-violence. I would deeply appreciate your critical comments on this chapter. As you know, I have a great deal of respect for you as a scholar and I would not like to have this chapter go out without your critical suggestions. I know of your extremely busy schedule and I feel somewhat guilty in even making the request, but I can assure you that it would be of immeasurable assistance to me.
I am mainly concerned with your critical comments on my intellectual pilgrimage to non-violence which begins on page 163 and the theoretical meaning of the philosophy of non-violence which begins on page 177. There are, naturally, several grammatical and stylistic corrections which I will have to make, but I am deeply concerned about having the content in line with straight theological and philosophical thinking.
Since I am racing with a dead-line, I would appreciate hearing from you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely yours,
[signed] M. L.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
MLK:p
P.S. Please ignore marks that I have already made on this copy.
1. See Kelsey to King, 4 April 1958.
Source: GDKP, INP, George D. Kelsey Papers, In Private Hands.