... laws must be followed are because they are the law. But if your're caught in a situation were the "unjust- law needs to be broken would you create civil disobedience and take a stand for what you believe in? An unjust law according to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is "Any law that degrades human personality is unjust."" "An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power majority compels ... a minority group to obey, but does not make binding on itself."" An unjust law according to Henry David Thoreau is, " if is of such a nature ... Thoreau builds is for the importance of civil disobedien...

• Word Count: 1033
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... , Jr. believed civil disobedience, when enacted for the correct reasons, was a useful tool to fight unjust laws. Dr. King also believed that any law that uplifts human personality was just and any law that degrades human personality was unjust. He used this argument to explain why segregation was an unjust law. He states that segregation damages the soul of that one segregated against, thus making it ... an unjust law. Although Hobbes stated that all people are roughly equal, still, if someone has more, others ... live in a safe society. He believed people had the social obligation to ob...

• Word Count: 794
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... execution and is caught in between a moral dilemma. He has the choice of betraying the law and the state or betraying himself and what he stands for. Socrates in his old age has been subjected to the Law of Athens. He knows for a fact that the law is unjust in its doing; but, his main quarrel against Crito is that he cannot just escape ... and disobey the law. "What do you mean by trying to escape, but to destroy us, the laws are the ... in jail, he wrote the famous letter, The Letter From Birmingham Jail. This is a concrete example of something that the Socratic-Platonic view would ap...

• Word Count: 974
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... believed in civil disobedience, when acted for the correct reasons, was a useful tool to fight unjust law. King was a famous person then, now and will be. King found a law to be unjust then civil disobedience would be correct and morally right. King's guidelines to determine if a law is just or unjust were an integral part of his views on civil disobedience. In defining the definition between ... just and unjust laws, King says that a just law is those laws that align with the moral law or the law of god. On the other hand, an unjust law is that law that is not aligned with no moral law...

• Word Count: 540
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... was going to be elected, all had the same intention of keeping segregation among blacks. King also spoke on the differences between just and unjust laws. An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. What is right and what is wrong. The policy of the philosophy class of 2101 follows with ... squares with the moral law of the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of Saint Thomas Aquinas, an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eterna...

• Word Count: 1116
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" strives to rationalize the desperate need for nonviolent direct action, the absolute immorality of unjust laws together with what a just law is, as well as, the increasing probability of the "Negro" resorting to extreme disorder and bloodshed, in addition to his utter disappointment with the Church who, in his ... inform the community about the issue is actually showing great respect for the law. King answers to the clergymen's assertion that breaking the law is not the way to achieve the resu...

• Word Count: 1011
• Approx Pages: 4

... that we should disobey. He declared the definition of just and unjust law by stating, " One has a legal and moral responsibility to obey is just law. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey is unjust law"(22). To make things become more convincing, King would agree with St. Augustine that "an unjust law is no law at all".(22) This made a further development for the letter; ... King's definition was referred from St. Augustine v/s an especially significant Catholic theologian. He changed from the abstract to the concrete to support his premises by giving examples of just an...

• Word Count: 885
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... " to eight clergymen informing them of the situation in Birmingham, Alabama, in April of 1963. In this letter King discusses how a law can be appear just, and when applied be unjust. Sometimes things are not always as they appear, just or unjust, moral or immoral. King knew he was living in the era of human rights and human freedom. The main obstacle was ... , and a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. He also believes for someone to break the law they must be willing to take the punishment. A person that breaks a law and openly takes the punishment in order to make people aware, ...

• Word Count: 831
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... " to eight clergymen informing them of the situation in Birmingham, Alabama, in April of 1963. In this letter King discusses how a law can be appear just, and when applied be unjust. Sometimes things are not always as they appear, just or unjust, moral or immoral. King knew he was living in the era of human rights and human freedom. The main obstacle was ... , and a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. He also believes for someone to break the law they must be willing to take the punishment. A person that breaks a law and openly takes the punishment in order to make people aware, ...

• Word Count: 831
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... that the government has laws against that are biased toward a group of people. He defines two different types of laws, just and unjust. He states thatA 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 ... It explains the stance that is taken and provides a starting point for debate. In addition negotiating shows that an effort was made to peacefully solve the unjust law before any action was needed to be taken. The third step is self purification. This is described as the willingness to accept all con...

• Word Count: 1177
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... must know there are two types of laws, just and unjust. While obeying just laws is agreeable, obeying unjust laws is immoral. King encourages this point using St. Augustine's statement "an unjust law is no law at all." King explains that "a just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or law of God," and an unjust law is "a code that is out of harmony with the ... moral law." In all, any law that strengthen human personality is just, and ... any law that degrades it is unjust. King feels one who breaks an unjust law must do so openly ... ...

• Word Count: 830
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... his arguments. He provides clear explanations of "just" and "unjust" laws. King defines "Just" laws as a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God" (159). "Unjust" laws is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law (159). As times back then, being religious was important, King identifies " ... ;unjust" laws almost as a contradiction to God's laws and "just" laws was ... Alabama because injustice was there. King directed the moral laws to his audience to convince them that what the white men is doing is unjust. Sometimes, we need to follow our heart and no...

• Word Count: 940
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... in jail numerous times. King uses the excuse that his actions were just since he was fighting an unjust law. He defines segregation and unjust laws like this "Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality. It gives the segregator a false sense of superiority and ... the segregated a false sense of inferiority" (King, 146), "An unjust law is a code that a numerical power or majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not m...

• Word Count: 733
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... Martin Luther King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" strives to justify the desperate need for nonviolent direct action, the absolute immorality of unjust laws together with what a just law is, as well as, the increasing probability of the "Negro" resorting to extreme disorder and bloodshed, in addition to his utter ... answer to the clergymen's assertion that breaking the law is not the way to achieve the results the African American is looking for. "Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that, an unjust law is no law at all". ...

• Word Count: 674
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... to calm their despair. Afterwards, Martin Luther King Jr. starts to explain the difference between when a law is either just or unjust. Many people fail to understand that as he says, "an unjust law is no law at all" quoting St. Augustine. Then he goes right to the main point and says ... that any law that degrades human personality is unjust and there's no exceptions to it. This makes sense because any single aspect that degrades human dignity or soul is unjust there is ... but later says that this matter of civil disobedience is in a way denying citizens of their privilege of a peacef...

• Word Count: 959
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... that, he thought there were creative injustice laws. He states in Letter from Birmingham Jail that: "There are just and unjust laws, a unjust law is a code that a majority inflicts on a minority that is not binding on itself. This is difference made legal, but a just law is a code that a majority compels on a minority to follow that is willingto follow itself. This is sameness made legal ... ."(Pg. 113) Dr. King goes on give more examples of just and unjust laws. When he states that "unjust is a code inflicted upon ... minority had no part in enacting or creating because they did not ha...

• Word Count: 643
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... treatment of people to occur in one area that it will only spread to new areas and affect more and more people. If people see this unjust treatment being committed with out consequences over and over they will come to accept it as okay and something that is accepted. This would in turn ... in to consideration a persons logical thought when he talks about just and unjust laws. King says "A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law." The Clergymen express great concern over King is willingnes...

• Word Count: 1136
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... you allowed the unrighteous treatment of people to occur in one area that it will only spread to new areas and affect more and more people. If people see this unjust treatment being committed with out consequences over and over they will come to accept it as okay and something that is accepted. This would in turn be a great tragedy to ... all mankind. King brings in to consideration a persons logical thought when he talks about just and unjust laws. King says "A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with...

• Word Count: 580
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... were "unwise and untimely." As a response, M.L.K. wrote a letter from his cell defending his actions. In this letter, Dr. King talks about the unjust treatment of him and the rest of the Negro population in America. The letter had a number of emotional appeals in it that I think are important to point ... . Dr. King takes advantage of the voice he has to make this letter effective. It is truly difficult to put into words exactly how much unjust treatment was received by African-Americans, but the use of imagery throughout the letter was heart wrenching. In a section of the letter, he talk...

• Word Count: 892
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... admirable presences that helped change the way people view the world. Socrates and MLK Jr. both dealt with the question, "Is it just to break an unjust law?" In Plato's Crito and MLK Jr.'s "Letter from Birmingham Jail," this question is addressed. There are similarities and differences in the way Socrates and MLK ... this issue. Both Socrates and MLK Jr. use a nonviolent method of disobedience. Neither man used violence in his means of showing his dislike for certain unjust laws and yet both were punished for their actions and beliefs. Socrates and MLK Jr. believe that the majority does...

• Word Count: 316
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... early Christians convicted for their beliefs by the Roman Empire. King mentioned how this group of religiously-devoted individuals faced hungry lions for failing to "[...] submit to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire" that deprived them of religious freedom (1152). The selections "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and "Ballad of Birmingham" by ... distinguished tradition. He claimed that one has a legal and moral obligation to follow laws. Conversely, King refuted this statement declaring that "[...] one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws" (King Jr. 1151). King believed h...

• Word Count: 675
• Approx Pages: 3
• Has Bibliography

... century individualist, wrote an essay called "Civil Disobedience" in which he explained his reasons for not paying taxes to a government that was involved in an unjust war with Mexico. Although these works were written for different causes, the two are similar in some ways. Both are similar in how they get the ... He told about the injustice in having slavery in a civilized society. He repeatedly referred to slavery whenever he began to talk about the government's unjust laws. Many who believed in the abolition of slavery may have sided with Thoreau on some of his feelings about the gov...

• Word Count: 1034
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... century individualist, wrote an essay called "Civil Disobedience" in which he explained his reasons for not paying taxes to a government that was involved in an unjust war with Mexico. Although these works were composed for different causes, the two have similarities. Both are similar in how they engage the reader to see ... "practiced superbly by the early Christians who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks, before submitting to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire." This appeals to the clergymen directly. The purpose for which they stand onl...

• Word Count: 1097
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... , demanding an end to the de facto segregation that existed in defiance of constitutional, and in his opinion moral, law. Nonviolent civil disobedience was the technique of choice for King and his supporters as they attempted to force the established power structure into negotiating ... the abolition of unjust laws. Jailed in 1963 for participating in one such "direct action" in Birmingham, Alabama, King used his time in prison to ... justice" (189), and therefore as one incognizant of the reason that society establishes the rule of law. Moral justice, he argues, is the ultimate purpos...

• Word Count: 797
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... of abuses that they have suffered over a long time and in the present day. He distinguishes between just and unjust laws addressing the clergymen's anxiousness over the black man's "willingness to break laws" by quoting St. Augustine "An unjust law is no law at all" [3]. To sum up his point he mentions Hitler's laws and how he would've broken ... ...

• Word Count: 591
• Approx Pages: 2
• Has Bibliography