Martin Luther King's Civil Disobedience: Breaking Unjust Laws

Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights activist and leader who played a pivotal role in the struggle for racial equality in the United States during the 1950s and 1960s. He is best known for his advocacy of nonviolent civil disobedience as a means to bring about social change and challenge racially discriminatory laws.

King's philosophy centred on the idea that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. He argued that while just laws should be obeyed, individuals have a moral responsibility to disobey and challenge unjust laws. This belief led him to break certain laws, such as those prohibiting mass public demonstrations and parades without a permit, as a form of civil disobedience to bring attention to the injustice of racial segregation.

King's most famous work, the Letter from Birmingham Jail, was written during his imprisonment for violating an injunction against further demonstrations. In it, he differentiated between just and unjust laws, stating that an unjust law is one that is out of harmony with the moral law or the law of God. He argued that segregation laws degrade human personality and, therefore, fall into the category of unjust laws that should be disobeyed.

King's willingness to break certain laws as a form of civil disobedience sparked debates and inspired generations of activists to challenge unjust laws and fight for social change.

Martin Luther King Jr. was arrested for parading without a permit

On April 12, 1963, King and Ralph Abernathy were arrested in Birmingham, Alabama, for demonstrating without a permit. During his time in jail, he wrote his now-famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail". In this letter, he differentiated between just and unjust laws, stating that a just law is one that aligns with moral law or the law of God, while an unjust law is one that is out of harmony with moral law. He argued that segregation laws were unjust and, therefore, citizens were morally obligated to disobey them.

King's arrest in Birmingham was not an isolated incident. On May 4, 1961, he was arrested in Albany, Georgia, for a similar offence: parading and obstructing the sidewalk without a permit. This was part of a series of arrests King experienced throughout his civil rights activism. For example, on October 19, 1960, he was arrested in Atlanta, Georgia, during a sit-in protest at a department store.

King's arrests highlight the challenges and risks he faced in his fight for racial equality. Despite the personal consequences, including time in jail and the emotional toll of imprisonment, he persisted in his activism. King's willingness to break what he saw as unjust laws, such as those requiring permits for parades and protests, was a pivotal aspect of his civil disobedience strategy.

He was jailed in Birmingham for protesting segregation

In April 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. was jailed in Birmingham, Alabama, for protesting segregation. He was arrested for defying a state court's injunction and leading a march of Black protesters without a permit, urging an Easter boycott of white-owned stores. This was part of the Birmingham Campaign, also known as Project C, which aimed to overturn the city's segregation laws and practices through sit-ins, boycotts, and marches.

King's arrest came after he and dozens of fellow protesters continued to demonstrate despite an injunction obtained by Commissioner of Public Safety Theophilus Eugene "Bull" Connor. Connor, a notorious pro-segregationist, used brutal methods, including police dogs and high-pressure fire hoses, to suppress the protests.

During his week-long imprisonment, King penned his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail," a powerful defence of nonviolent civil disobedience and a call for an end to unjust laws. In it, he differentiated between just and unjust laws, arguing that segregation laws were morally wrong and that citizens had a responsibility to disobey them. He also emphasised the need for direct action, stating that freedom would not be granted voluntarily by the oppressors but had to be demanded by the oppressed.

King's actions and words during his time in Birmingham played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement, inspiring others to challenge segregation and helping pave the way for landmark legislation, such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which guaranteed voting rights to minorities and outlawed segregation and racial discrimination in public accommodations.

He advocated for civil disobedience against unjust laws

Martin Luther King Jr. advocated for civil disobedience against unjust laws. He argued that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. While just laws must be obeyed, unjust laws, or those that degrade human personality, must be disobeyed.

In his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail," King wrote that an unjust law is a "code that is out of harmony with the moral law." He gave the example of segregation laws, which he believed fell into this category. These laws, he argued, gave a false sense of superiority to the segregator and a false sense of inferiority to the segregated.

King further explained that a law could be just on its face but unjust in its application. For instance, he was once arrested for parading without a permit, which he argued was not wrong in itself. However, such an ordinance became unjust when used to maintain segregation and deny citizens their First Amendment right to peaceful assembly and protest.

King emphasized that breaking an unjust law must be done openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. He saw this form of civil disobedience as a way to arouse the conscience of the community and express the highest respect for law.

King's advocacy for civil disobedience was rooted in his Christian faith and belief in natural law. He drew inspiration from historical figures like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who disobeyed the laws of Nebuchadnezzar, and early Christians who faced lions and chopping blocks rather than submit to unjust Roman laws.

By distinguishing between just and unjust laws, King provided a framework for challenging racially discriminatory laws and advancing racial justice through nonviolent civil disobedience.

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

In his "Letter from Birmingham Jail," Martin Luther King Jr. wrote about his views on just and unjust laws. He differentiated the two, stating that a just law is 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 further elaborated that any law that uplifts human personality is just, whereas any law that degrades human personality is unjust. He emphasized that segregation statutes are unjust because they distort the soul and damage personalities, giving a false sense of superiority to the segregator and a false sense of inferiority to the segregated.

King also acknowledged that there are laws that are just on their face but unjust in their application. He gave the example of being arrested for parading without a permit, explaining that while there is nothing inherently wrong with requiring a permit for a parade, the ordinance becomes unjust when used to maintain segregation and deny citizens their First Amendment right to peaceful assembly and protest.

He clarified that he was not advocating for evading or defying the law but believed that one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. He argued that breaking an unjust law must be done openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty.

King's differentiation between just and unjust laws was a crucial aspect of his argument for civil disobedience and nonviolent resistance in the face of racial injustice and discriminatory laws.

He was prosecuted for tax evasion in Alabama

Martin Luther King Jr. was prosecuted for tax evasion in Alabama in 1960. This was his second indictment, the first being in 1956 for violating an anti-boycotting law during the Montgomery bus boycott. The 1960 indictment came after an Alabama grand jury issued a warrant for his arrest on two counts of felony perjury. The state charged that King had signed fraudulent tax returns for 1956 and 1958.

A state audit of King's returns claimed that he had not reported funds he received on behalf of the Montgomery Improvement Association and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The audit, conducted by the Alabama revenue department, reclassified certain gifts King received as income. For example, a $500 gift to repair King's firebombed home in 1956 and $1,500 to cover hospital costs from a 1958 stabbing were converted to income and taxed accordingly. In total, the state claimed that King still owed over $1,700 in back taxes and interest.

King was arrested and charged with falsifying his 1956 and 1958 tax returns. His defense team, which included a CPA from Atlanta, was all African-American, indicating that King anticipated relying on an appeals court for an acquittal. The trial began on May 25, 1960, in Montgomery, Alabama, and lasted six days. The prosecution introduced 1,400 exhibits, but King's defenders were able to prove that some of the documents were prepared after King was indicted. They also argued that any expense reimbursements King received from the SCLC were non-taxable income.

After nearly four hours of deliberation, the all-white jury returned a "not guilty" verdict. This outcome was surprising, given the racial dynamics of the time and place. In a statement following the verdict, King expressed hope and gratitude for the "hundreds and thousands of people, white people of goodwill in the South."

While the tax evasion case did not pose a serious threat to King or the civil rights movement, it illustrates the lengths to which white officials in Alabama went to thwart civil rights gains in the state. The prosecution's motivation was likely not just about taxes but also about stopping King's work and making his life difficult. Despite these efforts, King persevered, and his acquittal stands as a testament to his resilience and the power of justice.

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