IV 
115TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 798 
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin 
Luther King, Jr., through the teaching of nonviolence. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 22, 2018 
Mr. CAPUANO submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Education and the Workforce, and in addition to the Com-
mittee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by 
the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall with-
in the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
RESOLUTION 
Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the assassination 
of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., through the teaching 
of nonviolence. 
Whereas, on April 4, 1968, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was 
assassinated in his hotel room in Memphis, Tennessee; 
Whereas Dr. King helped our Nation understand what it 
means to love our neighbor, no matter the color of his 
or her skin; 
Whereas Dr. King taught our Nation to recognize the evils 
of racism that persisted in our laws and practices more 
than one hundred years after the abolition of slavery; 
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•HRES 798 IH 
Whereas Dr. King sought to achieve justice and reconciliation 
through peaceful means and inspired millions of others to 
do so also, earning him the 1964 Nobel Peace Prize; 
Whereas in his book, ‘‘Stride Toward Freedom’’, Dr. King es-
poused six principles of nonviolence— 
(1) nonviolence ‘‘is not a method for cowards; it does 
resist’’; 
(2) nonviolence ‘‘does not seek to defeat or humiliate 
the opponent, but to win his friendship and under-
standing’’; 
(3) nonviolence ‘‘is directed against the forces of evil 
rather than against persons who happen to be doing the 
evil’’; 
(4) nonviolence ‘‘is a willingness to accept suffering 
without retaliation’’; 
(5) nonviolence ‘‘avoids not only external physical vi-
olence but also internal violence of the spirit’’; and 
(6) nonviolence ‘‘is based on the conviction that the 
universe is on the side of justice’’; 
Whereas Dr. King’s efforts and leadership helped bring about 
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 
1965, and just days after his death, the Civil Rights Act 
of 1968, some of the most significant legislation ever 
passed by Congress; 
Whereas, in 1986, a Federal holiday was established in Dr. 
King’s honor, and is now celebrated in many cities across 
the United States as a day for volunteer service; 
Whereas Dr. King’s memory is cherished along with other 
great preachers of nonviolence, Mahatma Gandhi and 
Nelson Mandela, and a statue in his honor was placed 
among the Christian Martyrs of the Twentieth Century 
in Westminster Abbey; 
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•HRES 798 IH 
Whereas half a century after his death, the United States has 
made progress on the racial issues Dr. King dedicated his 
life to, but much more work must be done; and 
Whereas no assassin could silence him, because his words and 
his example will live as long as free men and women re-
member him: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) recognizes the lessons Dr. Martin Luther 
King, Jr., sought to leave with us, both in his life 
and his death, that nonviolent action can be an im-
portant force for social and political change; 
(2) recognizes the importance of teaching the 
next generation the importance of exercising their 
constitutional rights to free speech, assembly, and 
association; and 
(3) encourages all States and local school dis-
tricts to incorporate into their educational cur-
riculum the study of nonviolence into the teaching of 
history and civics, in the context of both United 
States and global history. 
Æ 
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