“
One has not only a legal, but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws
.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.
What did Martin Luther King Jr say about civil disobedience?
Martin Luther King, Jr., the most renowned advocate of civil disobedience, argued that
civil disobedience is not lawlessness but instead a higher form of lawfulness, designed to bring positive or man-made law into conformity with higher law—natural or divine law
.
What is King’s claim about unjust laws?
King’s supporting claim is “[a]n unjust law is
a code that the majority inflicts on a minority that is not binding on itself”
(par. 14). It could be paraphrased as, “an unjust law is a rule that the majority makes the minority follow, even though the majority does not have to obey this rule.
How does King define just and unjust laws to what opposing view is he providing?
Candace Haines, M.S. Within his seminal “Letter from Birmingham City Jail ,” King repeatedly makes a distinction between just and unjust laws. He puts it simply by stating that
any law that uplifts human personality is just and any law that degrades human personality is unjust.
Why does King think that one only has to obey the just laws?
King is explaining that not all laws are created equal. Laws are made by humans, and humans unfortunately have a long history of discriminating against each other. King says that we
have a moral responsibility to obey just laws
, and a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. That’s how we expand freedom.
What is an example of an unjust law?
There are many unjust laws around the world, the most obvious being those that discriminate between the rights given to different groups. In the United States, the most egregious examples tend to be on a state rather than on a federal level. Examples include
laws denying equal treatment to homosexuals
.
What are some unjust laws today?
- Money Bail.
- Private Bail Companies.
- Suspended Drivers Licenses.
- Excessive Mandatory Minimum Sentences.
- Wealth-Based Banishment That Outlaws Low-Income Housing.
- Private Probation Abuses.
- Parking Tickets to Debtors’ Prison.
- Sex Offense Registration Laws.
Did Martin Luther King support civil disobedience?
Martin Luther King, Jr., was arrested and jailed during these protests, writing his famous “Letter From Birmingham City Jail,” which advocates civil disobedience against unjust laws. … Like Gandhi, King
used civil disobedience as a means of effectuating government change
.
Why did Martin Luther King choose civil disobedience?
Using Civil Disobedience to Bring About Change
Like Gandhi, King used civil disobedience as
a means of effectuating government change
. It took the form of large-scale, non-violent refusals to obey government commands. There were sit-ins and marches, all carried out against the wishes of local authorities.
How did Martin Luther King changed the world?
led a civil rights movement that focused on nonviolent protest. Martin Luther King’s vision of equality and civil disobedience changed the world for
his children and the children
of all oppressed people. He changed the lives of African Americans in his time and subsequent decades.
What are some examples of laws in American history that would qualify as unjust?
- Naturalization Act of 1790: Refused the granting of national citizenship to indentured servants, slaves, free Blacks and later Asians.
- Fugitive Slave Act of 1793: Made it a crime to escape slavery and/or to harbor fugitive slaves.
What did Martin Luther King Jr mean by just and unjust laws?
“A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is
a code that is out of harmony with the moral law
,” King responded. “One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws.
What are two ways that King describes an unjust law?
King cited Martin Buber and Paul Tillich with further examples from the past and present of what makes laws just or unjust: “
A law is unjust if it is inflicted on a minority that, as a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting or devising the law
.” In terms of obedience to the law, King says …
Is it right to break an unjust law?
No society, whether free or tyrannical, can give its citizens the right to break its laws: To ask it to do so is to ask it to proclaim, as a matter of law, that its laws are not laws. … And this moral right is
not an unlimited right to disobey any law
which one regards as unjust.
What does Thoreau suggest is worse than disobeying an unjust law?
He disagreed with other American people who believed
the majority should change the law first
because it is a worse thing to disobey the law than to do what an unjust law says to do. Thoreau wrote that breaking the unjust laws is better: “Break the law. … However, Thoreau did not think people should be criminals.
Is an unjust law truly a law?
An unjust law is
no law at all
, in Latin Lex injusta non est lex, is an expression of natural law, acknowledging that authority is not legitimate unless it is good and right. It has become a standard legal maxim around the world.
