Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote the Letter from Birmingham Jail in order to set a few critics straight. He took his time to answer this criticism because he felt it necessary to explain his actions. King explains that he was invited to Birmingham for a nonviolent direct action against the injustice of the Negro society. Dr. King felt that it was his duty to "spread the gospel of freedom" (155). He knew that the actions he must take should be relatively silent yet moving.
The issue is that of injustice or justice. King quotes St. Thomas Aquinas when determining the distinction between an unjust law or a just law. Laws are based mostly from the law of God. Even though King's audience is most likely involved in the church, what about those that do not have the same beliefs? How can laws be based upon the human personality and the law of God when not everyone sees these things in the same way?
King did a great job in getting his point across and explaining his plan and reasoning. However, people have different religious and political views that affect their decisions. People are afraid of change, especially if they have been raised a certain way and are set in those ways. Can people leave their comfort zones and adapt to a much needed change? Can they see the differences of a just law for them as an unjust law for another?
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I agree that the "issue is justice and unjustice." Everyone quite naturally will desire just treatment, When it's not received, this can cause disturbance. "Ain't I a Woman?" Is about African American women who demand acknowledgement of the fact that they're humans. I really appreciate how she mention that, "man over there says that women need to be helped into carriages, and lifted over ditches, and to have the best place everywhere". (Sojourner Truth) Society has specific cultural rules, but if what is expected isn't done, this will be abnormal. Sojourner knew that every woman wouldn't be viewed as a person who deserves respect, in order to feel like they are part of society. Frederick Douglass also wrote some interesting points. Again, the law can be completely dishonest. The written law on paper could seem great, but when put into action, that same law will display favoritism. Injustices fill the world today.
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