H. Res. 134 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
February 10, 2009. 
Whereas Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. changed America for-
ever in a few short years through his teaching of non-
violence and passive resistance to combat segregation, 
discrimination, and racial injustice; 
Whereas, in 1950, during the pursuit of a Bachelor of Divin-
ity degree at Crozer Theological Seminary in Upland, 
Pennsylvania, Dr. King first became aware of the success 
of nonviolent political action employed by India’s Ma-
hatma Gandhi in political campaigns against racial in-
equality in South Africa, and later against British colo-
nial rule in India; 
Whereas Dr. King began an extensive study of Gandhi’s life 
and ideas, and became inspired to use Gandhi’s theory of 
nonviolent civil disobedience to achieve social change in 
America; 
Whereas, in 1955 and 1956, Dr. King led the Montgomery 
Bus Boycott to protest the arrest of Rosa Parks and the 
segregation of the bus system of Montgomery, Alabama, 
during which time Dr. King was arrested and his home 
bombed;
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Whereas the Montgomery Bus Boycott was the first large- 
scale, nonviolent civil rights demonstration of contem-
porary times in the United States; 
Whereas, following the success of nonviolent protest in the 
Montgomery Bus Boycott, Dr. King desired to travel to 
India to deepen his knowledge of Gandhi’s teachings on 
nonviolent principles; 
Whereas Dr. King, his wife Coretta Scott King, and Law-
rence Reddick, then chairman of the history department 
at Alabama State College, arrived in Bombay, India, on 
February 10, 1959 and stayed until March 10, 1959; 
Whereas Dr. King was warmly welcomed by members of In-
dian society throughout his visit, and met with Prime 
Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, land reform leader 
Vinoba Bhave, and other influential Indian leaders to dis-
cuss issues of poverty, economic policy, and race rela-
tions; 
Whereas, while in India, Dr. King spoke about race and 
equality at crowded universities and at public meetings; 
Whereas followers of Ghandi’s philosophy, known as 
satyagrahis, welcomed Dr. King and praised him for his 
nonviolent efforts during the Montgomery Bus Boycott, 
which they saw as a landmark success of principles of 
nonviolence outside of India; 
Whereas the satyagrahis and Dr. King discussed Ghandi’s 
philosophy, known as Satyagraha, which promotes non-
violence and civil disobedience as the most useful meth-
ods for obtaining political and social goals; 
Whereas the satyagrahis reaffirmed and deepened Dr. King’s 
commitment to nonviolence, and revealed to him the
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power that nonviolent resistance holds in political and so-
cial battles; 
Whereas the trip to India impacted Dr. King in a profound 
way, and inspired him to use nonviolence as an instru-
ment of social change to end segregation and racial dis-
crimination in America throughout the rest of his work 
during the Civil Rights Movement; 
Whereas Dr. King rose to be the preeminent civil rights advo-
cate of his time, leading the Civil Rights Movement in the 
United States during the 1950s and 1960s and earning 
world-wide recognition as an eloquent and articulate 
spokesperson for equality; 
Whereas Dr. King became a champion of nonviolence, and in 
1964, at the age of 35, he became the youngest man to 
be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of his 
efforts; 
Whereas through his leadership in nonviolent protest, Dr. 
King was instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights 
Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965; 
Whereas, between 1957 and 1968, Dr. King traveled more 
than 6,000,000 miles, spoke more than 2,500 times, and 
wrote five books and numerous articles supporting efforts 
around the country to end injustice and bring about so-
cial change and desegregation through civil disobedience; 
and 
Whereas the work of Dr. King created a basis of under-
standing and respect, and helped communities and the 
United States as a whole to act peacefully, cooperatively, 
and courageously to restore tolerance, justice, and equal-
ity between people: Now, therefore, be it
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Resolved, That the House of Representatives encourages 
all Americans to— 
(1) pause and remember the 50th Anniversary of 
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s visit to India; 
(2) commemorate Dr. King’s legacy of nonviolence, 
a principle that— 
(A) Dr. King encountered during his study of 
India’s Mahatma Gandhi; 
(B) further inspired him during his first trip to 
India; and 
(C) he successfully used in the struggle for 
civil rights and voting rights; 
(3) commemorate the impact that Dr. King’s trip to 
India and his study of the philosophy of Mahatma Gan-
dhi had in shaping the Civil Rights Movement and cre-
ating the political climate necessary to pass legislation to 
expand civil rights and voting rights for all Americans; 
and 
(4) rededicate themselves to Dr. King’s belief that 
‘‘nonviolence is the answer to the crucial political and
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moral question of our time’’ and to his goal of a free and 
just United States. 
Attest: 
Clerk.