He explains the difference between unjust and just laws saying a just law is one that is made by man but parallels the code and laws of God. And thus, he can rightfully tell people to disobey the unjust segregation ordinances because they are not morally correct. [627] He then point out the distinction between his arrest for not having a permit to parade, and that he was really arrested because he was promoting desegregation. He then points out the First amendments right of peaceful assembly and protest. He says that if you are going to disobey the law you must do it so with a willingness to admit it and acceptance of the appropriate punishment- that in turn is an example of respecting the
King used a very strong quote that stated, “ An unjust law is no law at all.” This quote was from a great Christian philosopher and king knew the clergymen couldn’t ignore the words of such a wise man. King also used emotion to find common ground with the clergymen. He showed the real feelings that were felt when the black man is told that he cannot ride on this bus, because black people are filthy. King consistently used morality to help find common ground. He touched on how having two separate drinking fountains, one for whites and one for blacks, saying that it just wasn’t morally right.
He said “at the center of non-violence stands the principle of love” (Martin Luther King Junior). Malcolm x believed that the only way to stop violence is by any means necessary. He believed that if someone hits you and you ignore it, that person is going to continue hitting you. He said, “Obey the law, respect everyone, but if someone puts their hands on you, sent him to the cemetery”. Malcolm was not a violent person he just did not like people to take advantage of him or his people.
Visualizing an infallible government, free of harm, fault, and malfunction Thoreau was a true transcendentalist. Vindicating nonviolent actions, civil disobedience is bluntly defined as “refusal to obey civil laws in an effort to induce change in governmental policy or legislation”. Martyrs like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. also believed and preached their own theories on civil disobedience. Having distinct motives for advocating civil disobedience, Mahatma Gandhi wanted to stop the South African government
“We will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends”, Martin Luther King Jr. was a man of civility and peace. Dr. King had a dream of changing the world, even if he didn’t have all mankind to back him up. He strongly believed in his moral beliefs, that all men are created equal. Martin was big on civility. He refused to accept the laws that he thought were unjust.
One of his more famous works is The Bloody Tenent of Persecution. This is a dialogue between “truth and peace.” The first half “is a point-by-point rebuttal and a plea for liberty of conscience as a human right. The second half argues that a government is granted power by the people, most of whom are unregenerate. As delegates of the people, therefore, magistrates could not interfere with religion, for the unregenerate have no power in Christ’s church.” (Heath 348) His most famous letter is “To the town of Providence” that was trying to end a problem that divided the town over “religious autonomy and civil restraint.” He did not want one group (the Quakers) to be subjected to legal persecution, but instead “met their threat to social peace in his heavenly city by arguing
In this way, the Reverend places his mission of preaching freedom alongside the efforts of the prophets of old in terms of importance, and thus invites the reader to reflect upon the noble task he is undertaking. Because religion is so widely regarded as a sacred concept that should never be challenged, King’s comparison of religion to freedom is highly effective in convincing the reader that injustices committed upon a person’s freedom are not to be tolerated. King also covers the need for a more secular point of view by creating parallels between himself and Socrates, stating, “Just as Socrates felt that it was necessary to create
In response to Dr. Martin Luther King’s letter to his fellow clergymen, it appears that they were asking or even possibly pleading Dr. King to stop his activities describing them as, “unwise and untimely.” These activities included a non-violent campaign of civil rights demonstrations, sit-ins, non-violent marches, concerns regarding police brutality and civil equalities for people of color. Dr. King eloquently wrote a long letter, as he sat in jail, describing all his concerns to a clergy of his peers, in the hopes they could see how all these injustices demanded action immediately and not by waiting as they mentioned. Dr. King was obviously disappointed with a letter that he received and wanted his concerns to be heard. As he sat in jail and pondered all the injustices he had witnessed or had been a part of, it appears that he had time to create a letter which he felt would outline and describe how he felt about the situation. When Dr. King stated facts about describing the situation in Birmingham, he clearly wanted to provide a foundation to build upon.
was against the traditional views and unjust laws, which discriminated against him and his fellow people. He felt that the only way that these unjust laws and traditional beliefs would ever change would be by protestesting. He also felt that without protest the laws and traditions would remain the same forever. Along with encouraging protest, King's letter was also a justification of his actions. By taking the time to answer his critics (or persecutors, as he is in prison) with patience, logic and intelligence, as opposed to retaliating, King was also able to justify his actions.
In here, he wants to remind the clergy men that America which is supposed to be the land of liberty where everyone is equal as stated in the Constitution should be a symbol, a light house of civil right for other nations to follow, and yet it is being left behind by others. His reasoning is very logical and tight to the Constitution which is written by white people makes the clergy men unable to make any argument. In