Throughout “The World House” by Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) there are many historical and cultural contexts. The author himself holds quite a lot of historical significance. MLK discussed the problems that came with racism in the United States (U.S.) as well as abroad in the twentieth century, and how they could cause detrimental problems in the future. The domestic and universal racism that existed in the 1950-60’s greatly impacted MLK’s writing because it opened his eyes to the racism that had become a worldwide issue, not just a Black/U.S. issue. Progress made in the Civil Rights Movement and Christian influence also impacted MLK’s writing and the way it was interpreted.

 Racial tensions in the U.S. had been an issue for a very long time – long before the Civil War, which supposedly ended it all, appeasing all Black Americans but they had a long fight ahead of them. Domestic racism was commonly seen as being discriminatory towards minority races, (mainly Blacks), and the greatest example was the segregation that took place in the U.S., but racism everywhere else was commonly overlooked. Universal racism was being discriminatory towards minority races in different ways according to the culture/society. The way racism was treated in the U.S. does not mean that it was the same throughout the world. During the John F. Kennedy administration, these problems that the colored community faced were brought up but only delved into on a diplomatic level and no further. An aspect of racism that was also commonly overlooked was economic racism. In Latin America, one could easily find resentment towards the U.S., because of the fact that “the life and destiny of Latin America are in the hands of United States corporations”. The decisions of the lives of the South American people rested in the hands of their government, but the country had a lack of “legitimate democracies” in the whole continent. The other governments had been taken over by “huge and exploitative cartels” that loot Latin America of her resources, whose rebate would later go to a few members of a “corrupt aristocracy,” who in turn choose not to invest in their countries to better the lives of their people but, invest the money in the banks of Switzerland and other attractions of the world (King, 288-89). 

The biggest example of racism abroad was in the Union of South Africa, “their national policy and practice are the incarnation of the doctrine of white supremacy in the midst of a population which is overwhelmingly black.” Furthermore, a constitution was created by an association created in the Union that stated that the members of the Psychological Association consist of whites and non-whites [but] that the Council will consist only of whites; that the non-whites will choose three whites to represent their interests, namely one for Bantus, one for Asians and one for Coloreds; that the Council’s powers and functions will remain as in the past; that no mixed gatherings will take place, namely of whites and non-white members; and that whites and non-whites will establish their separate branches and will conduct their congresses and annual general meetings separately (Long).  This goes to show that racism was not just terrible in the most powerful country but it was a significant problem all over the world but was not as widely discussed because – to put it simply – if something was wrong in the U.S., everything else must be ignored, regardless of the fact that it may be just as bad if not worse in other countries than it is here. King states, “Racism is no mere American phenomenon. Its vicious grasp knows no geographical boundaries,” which further proves that racism in the U.S. was thought of as some sort of monopoly that only the Americans had a hand on (King, 287). The racial tension in the Union of South Africa, sad to say, was possible because of the “economic policies of the United States and Great Britain, two countries which profess to be the moral bastions of our Western world,” (King, 288). The supposed role model of the world was the country with the most racial tension to begin with, the U.S. integrated segregation into the soul of the country for so very long that it had become something that was completely normal, a topic that was not even up for discussion to overcome; all because of the color of one’s skin, all because of the egos of the privileged white. The U.S. failed to take seriously take into account how much in the spotlight they really were, the world was taking note into what was going on during this time. The mere fact that a first world country was participating in slave labor or racial segregation further provoked other countries to participate in the same mockery. Simply because if a country as powerful as the U.S. can partake in this, then why not others? Other countries began to associate the U.S.’ power to taking over the freedom of others. 

 Universal racism was very prevalent in countries such as the Union of South Africa, Angola, Rhodesia, Latin America, and some countries in Asia. King notes, “In country after country, we see white men building empires on the sweat and suffering of colored people. Portugal continues its practices of slave labor and subjugation in Angola; the Ian Smith government in Rhodesia continues to enjoy the support of British-based industry and private capital, despite the stated opposition of British Government policy,” (King, 288). Even though most of the first world governments that are controlling third world countries, were faced with the same brutality from the British, they continued to make the minority race suffer through what they had to face and quite a lot more. 

The Civil Rights Movement had made progress while MLK was writing this piece, so the progress he saw greatly impacted the way he wrote this piece. Four years prior to publishing his novel Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community?, which “The World House” takes up a chapter in, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed and stated that there would be no discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin (History.com). A year after that, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed and it overcame the legal barriers that prevented Black Americans from voting (History.com). The fact that the vision that MLK had worked so hard to achieve was finally becoming a reality did not stop him from bringing awareness to the similar issue that was occurring all around the world. He did not quit after his success in the U.S. He thought broadly and brought focus on many countries who are facing universal racism perhaps because of the domestic racism the U.S. had for, so long, allowed. 

World history was relevant in relation to the impact on MLK’s writing in this piece but so was his personal history. MLK was a very well-practiced preacher, his actions during the Civil Rights Movement were solely based on his faith. He did not approach the issue as a politician, but as a firm believer in Jesus. The popular opinion of religion being the door to understand what goes on beyond death was something that MLK did not embody. Max. L Stackhouse, the author of Public Theology discusses that the church also brings order “to defend justice, freedom, equality, and peace in society as a moral voice of public life,” (Mang, 227). MLK’s true belief was that every person was a child of God, but not everyone thought nor were taught to think with an open mind. The revolutionary leaders of Africa, Asia, and Latin America have all received their education in the West. King states that their earliest training often occurred in Christian missionary schools. Here is where their sense of dignity was developed and they learned that all men were sons of God, but their countries had been interrupted by the western culture; “Coca-automobiles, Cola and Hollywood, so that even remote villages have become aware of the wonders and blessing available to God’s white children.” (King). No matter how qualified a person may be, if they were a person of color, they were subdued and pressured to living a life as people that they were not – white. The fact that they were taught to think this way was perhaps the reason why they became revolutionaries in the first place, one of their many reasons of fighting back was what they had learned. 

The children of the former generations that faced the brutality that came with racism now want what was a luxury to their parents. The sad part is, they are forced to realize that the color of their skin and the hardships their ancestors had to face was all centered around the idea of the Western world’s incompetence to accept people as they come, no matter the skin color. The non-United States historical contexts that are mentioned change the way that a reader views racial tensions in the U.S., because it not only is an issue for black Americans, it is an issue that every minority race has to face. While reading this piece, one’s respect for MLK may possibly grow, if possible, because he had a tremendous platform and used it to raise awareness to problems outside of the U.S. This piece is a timeless piece, hence why it is even applicable to events occurring today. The recurring and unfortunate police brutality against Black Americans shows some parallels to the way that their ancestors were treated during the fifties. The ‘Lives Matter’ movement proves that equality within races in the twenty-first century has not been achieved. If MLK were to be alive now, he would be greatly disappointed with the condition of this country. 
