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Justice in A Letter From Birmingham Jail


This knowledge was internalized and manifested itself as a globally cultured viewpoint on life that was timeless in nature. The obligations that he felt he owed his Negro people, as well as humankind in general were met by his commitment to an inner law that was written on his heart.
             The commitment to his inner law led him to breaking the laws of the land. King was not an anarchist, rather he chose to nonviolently resist. The idea of nonviolent resistance stems from numerous men of old. In "The Ethical Demands for Integration" King states "The Gandhian concept of non-injury parallels the Hebraic-Christian teaching of the sacredness of every living being" (124). Here, King was referring to the nonviolent decisions that Gandhi chose to act upon as he challenged the British Empire, and eventually freed his people. The only weapons Gandhi was guilty of using were "weapons of truth, non-injury, courage and soul force" (King 103). In his letter, King also compared his civil disobedience and those of the Negros to the some Biblical characters. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego nonviolently refused to obey King Nebuchadnezzar, since they believed that the laws under the king were in conflict with the higher laws. King also told of Daniel who refused to submit to the laws of the Roman Empire and ended up being thrown in a lion's den. Wise Greek philosopher Socrates himself practiced civil disobedience "to create a tension in the mind so that individuals could rise from the bondage of myths and half-truths to the unfettered realm of creative and analysis and objective appraisal" (King 1857). All of these men broke the unjust laws, but they did so "openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty" (King 1854). .
             King's subconscious was tied into the legacy of men throughout the ages and his wisdom and actions followed a higher law in his fight for justice.


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