Did Martin Luther King Jr. Break Any Laws?

Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested multiple times for his involvement in the US civil rights movement. In his famous 'Letter from Birmingham Jail', he defended civil disobedience, arguing that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws. He was arrested for breaking Alabama's law against mass public demonstrations and charged with parading without a permit, among other things.

Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested multiple times for breaking the law

King was arrested on several occasions for violating various criminal code provisions, including disturbing the peace, marching without a permit, violating picketing or boycott laws, trespassing, criminal libel, and conspiracy. He was also prosecuted for tax evasion in Alabama.

One of King's most famous works, the "Letter from Birmingham Jail," was written during one of his incarcerations in 1963. In this letter, King differentiated between just and unjust laws, arguing that people have a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws, even if it means accepting the legal consequences.

King's views on the law can be categorized into two groups: law as an obstacle and law as an opportunity. He saw racially discriminatory laws and racially neutral laws used by segregationists to attack civil rights activism as obstacles to racial justice. In contrast, he viewed laws that advanced racial justice, such as school desegregation orders and non-discrimination requirements, as opportunities.

King's willingness to break unjust laws and accept the legal consequences was a crucial aspect of his activism. By doing so, he drew attention to the injustice of those laws and sparked a broader social movement that ultimately led to significant changes in race relations and the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

He argued that there is a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws

Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested five times in his life for his activism against racial segregation. In 1963, he wrote his influential "Letter from Birmingham Jail", defending his belief in civil disobedience and non-violent resistance to racism. In it, he argues that there is a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.

King differentiates between just and unjust laws. He writes, "I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws." Conversely, he states that "one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws". King defines a just law as a "man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God", while an unjust law is "a code that is out of harmony with the moral law".

King provides further clarification on these definitions, stating that "any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." He gives the example of segregation statutes, which he considers unjust because they "distort the soul and damage the personality". Segregation gives "the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority", substituting an "I-it" relationship for an "I-thou" relationship, and ultimately relegating persons to the status of things. Thus, King argues that segregation is not only politically, economically, and sociologically unsound, but also morally wrong and sinful.

King acknowledges the potential contradiction in urging people to obey the Supreme Court's 1954 decision outlawing segregation in public schools while also consciously breaking laws. However, he explains that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. He justifies breaking unjust laws by stating that "an unjust law is no law at all", and that people have a moral duty to disobey such laws.

King further elaborates on the distinction between just and unjust laws. He writes that an unjust law is one that a majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on itself. Conversely, a just law is a code that a majority compels a minority to follow and that it is willing to follow itself. Additionally, King notes that a law can be just on its face but unjust in its application. He provides the example of being arrested for parading without a permit, explaining that while there is nothing wrong with requiring a permit for a parade, such an ordinance becomes unjust when used to maintain segregation and deny citizens their First Amendment right to peaceful assembly and protest.

King emphasizes that he does not advocate evading or defying the law, as that would lead to anarchy. Instead, he clarifies that those who break unjust laws must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. By accepting the punishment for breaking an unjust law, individuals express their respect for the law and arouse the conscience of the community regarding its injustice.

He differentiated between just and unjust laws in his 'Letter from Birmingham Jail'

In his "Letter from Birmingham Jail", Martin Luther King Jr. addressed fellow clergymen who had criticised his activities as "unwise and untimely". He explained that he was in Birmingham, Alabama, because "injustice is [t]here", and that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere".

King acknowledged that he had been criticised for his willingness to break laws, but argued that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. He advocated for obeying just laws, which he defined as laws that "square with the moral law or the law of God". Conversely, he argued that there is a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws, which he defined as laws that are "out of harmony with the moral law".

King gave several examples of unjust laws, including those that are inflicted on a minority that, as a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting or devising the law. He also pointed out that sometimes a law can be just in its essence, but unjust in its application. For instance, he had been arrested for parading without a permit, which he argued was just, but the ordinance became unjust when used to maintain segregation and to deny citizens the First-Amendment privilege of peaceful assembly and protest.

King emphasised that he did not advocate evading or defying the law, but that breaking an unjust law must be done openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. He saw this as an expression of the highest respect for the law, and cited historical examples of civil disobedience, including the Boston Tea Party and early Christians facing lions and chopping blocks rather than submitting to unjust laws of the Roman Empire.

He advocated for non-violent resistance to racism

Martin Luther King Jr. was a pivotal figure in the US civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Through his activism, he played a critical role in ending the legal segregation of African Americans, as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964 for his efforts.

King was arrested five times in his life, most famously in 1963 for protesting against the treatment of the black community in Birmingham, Alabama. It was during this stint in jail that he penned his influential "Letter from Birmingham Jail", which defends non-violent resistance to racism and argues that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws.

In the letter, King differentiates between just and unjust laws. He writes, "I would be the first to advocate obeying just laws. One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. 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.' 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 goes on to explain that any law that degrades human personality is unjust, and that segregation statutes fall into this category because they give "the segregator a false sense of superiority and the segregated a false sense of inferiority." He emphasizes that people who break unjust laws must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. This, he argues, is a way of expressing the highest respect for the law.

King's advocacy of non-violent resistance to racism was influenced by his Christian faith and the belief in the importance of non-violence as a critical component of the civil rights movement's success. He was also inspired by the work of Indian independence leader Mahatma Gandhi, who became the world's most famous advocate of peaceful protest and campaigning.

He played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African Americans

Martin Luther King Jr. was a pivotal figure in the fight to end the legal segregation of African Americans. Through his activism, he played a key role in securing the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964, among several other honours.

King's views on the law can be divided into two categories: law as an obstacle to racial justice, and law as an opportunity for advancing racial justice. Much of the civil rights movement was a struggle against discriminatory laws or racially neutral laws used by segregationists to attack civil rights activism. King was arrested multiple times for violating various criminal code provisions, including disturbing the peace, marching without a permit, violating picketing or boycott laws, trespassing, and conspiracy.

In his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail," written in 1963, King differentiated between just and unjust laws. He argued that a just law is one that aligns with moral or divine law, while an unjust law is out of harmony with moral principles. Since segregation laws fall into the latter category, King believed they should be disobeyed. He also recognised that some laws could be just on their face but unjust in their application. For example, he was arrested for parading without a permit, which he argued was used to maintain segregation and deny citizens their right to peaceful assembly and protest.

King's attitude towards the law was shaped by his tense relationship with civil rights lawyers. He recognised the importance of courtroom decisions and legal reform but emphasised the need for organised social action to complement these efforts. He critiqued the litigation-based tactics of organisations like the NAACP, arguing that legal reform alone was insufficient to uproot entrenched patterns of inequality.

King's contributions to the struggle for racial equality included his passionate skepticism toward the efficacy of legal change without accompanying social action. He advocated for direct-action protest as an extension of, and alternative to, litigation-based strategies.

King's influence extended beyond the United States. His ideas inspired anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela, who was also imprisoned for his activism and went on to become the President of South Africa.

Frequently asked questions