Martin Luther King Jr. first encountered nonviolence through Thoreau’s *Essay on Civil Disobedience* as a freshman at Morehouse College. A talk by Dr. Mordecai Johnson on Gandhi at Crozer Theological Seminary later provided the method for social reform King sought, blending Christian love with Gandhian tactics.

King’s commitment was forged during the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955, where he enacted Gandhian principles directly. Advised by pacifists like Bayard Rustin, he rejected armed guards and responded to violence with compassion. This practical experience revealed nonviolence as a way of life, not just a tactic, with agape love at its core.

He outlined six key principles, including resisting evil without violence and seeking the opponent’s friendship. King argued nonviolence was essential for a multiracial society, calling violent revolution impractical. After Black Power advocates rejected his approach, he reaffirmed it as a precious conviction, stating light and love alone can overcome darkness and hate.