King’s box of notecards makes me think of Niklas Luhmann’s Zettelkasten. Did you come across any hint that King was familiar with Luhmann’s organizing structure? If he was, it’s unfortunate he missed the part about clearly identified reference notes!

Arrangement of the Series The series is organized into eight subseries: 1. General Subject file; 2. Theologian's Debate Box; 3. Subject Index file; 4. Author Index file; 5. Title Index file; 6. Notes on Books of the Bible; 7. Notes on the Latter Prophets; 8. Notes on Philosophers. The series is arranged alphabetically. Subseries 6 and 7 arranged in order of occurrence in the Bible. Separated Materials Newsprint items have been separated to proper housing.

The series consists primarily of notes taken by Martin Luther King, Jr. The bulk of the notes were taken as reference material for King’s coursework while a doctoral student at Boston University (1952-1955), including notes taken specifically as reference material for King’s dissertation; these notes focus specifically on theology and theologians. Later notes relate to books and articles read by King on a wide variety of subjects (1943-1968), as well as publications that mention or publish work by King, his wife, his associates, or organizations related to King (1968-1969).

From an organizational standpoint, the beauty of sermons is that each revolves around a specific theme. Accordingly, King could devote a single folder to each topic. He accumulated 166 folders, each with a title like “Loving your Enemies” (folder 1), “Why the Christian must Oppose Segregation” (folder 87), “Mental Slavery” (folder 113), and “The Misuse of Prayer” (folder 166). These folders contain King’s outlines; source material, like clippings from books; and drafts.

My guess is that it was unintentional and the result of sloppy note-taking practices that did not clearly mark original and borrowed ideas.

And here are King’s early thoughts on this biblical passage, written in 1953 as a Ph.D. student:God (Amos)5:21:24—This passage might be called the key passage of the entire book. It reveals the deep ethical nature of God. God is a God that demands justice rather than sacrifice; righteousness rather than ritual. The most elaborate worship is but an insult to God when offered by those who have no mind to conform to his ethical demands. Certainly this is one of the most noble idea ever uttered by the human mind.One may raise the question as to whether Amos was against all ritual and sacrifice, i.e. worship. I think not. It seems to me that Amos' concern is the ever-present tendency to make ritual and sacrifice a substitute for ethical living. Unless a man's heart is right, Amos seems to be saying, the external forms of worship mean nothing. God is a God that demands justice and sacrifice fo can never be a substitute for it. Who can disagree with such a notion?3Notice how King wrote the topic (God) and his source (Amos 5:21:24) at the top of the note card for easy reference.

one of King’s note cards on the Old Testament’s Book of Amos which includes the linesBut let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. These lines would feature in many of King’s speeches—including his famous “I Have a Dream Speech,” where King said: …we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.

Many of King’s notecards come from his time earning a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology at Boston University. These notecards contain a mixture of quotations from the Bible and religious thinkers as well as King’s personal views. For example, he wrote more than a thousand notecards exploring the Old Testament.

A selection of King’s notecards, held at Morehouse College