Challenging Unjust Laws: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Stand

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In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr, composed a response letter to a man who criticized his methods of protesting. The man accused him of being an extremist whose actions were unlawful and unnecessary. This caused Dr. King to discuss the purpose of the law: is it to control, keep peace, or extinguish tension? In Dr. King’s letter, he challenged the idea that the law was always correct. Although government is put in place by God, it does not always adhere to the morality taught in the Bible. He believed it was the American people’s right to pursue just law, even if it means breaking unjust law.

Through research and investigation of history, I am resolved that peaceful resistance to unjust law positively impacts a free society. To prove this, I …show more content…

Many believe that, although we have come a long way as a free society, America still enforces immoral laws. Of course what some would consider an immoral law, others would view as perfectly just. This is where personal convictions come into play. Current examples include: drug laws, the election of President Elect Donald Trump, the death penalty, and the freedom of homosexual marriage. Of course the list could go on for pages, but this is what the freedom of peaceful assembly is all about.

The art of peaceful protest is one that we cannot afford to lose. Without the peaceful alternative, riots would take place more often than they already do. If we are trying to impact a free society, we can’t duct tape the public’s mouth. The attitude of complacency, however, is something we could do without. If we allow the government to get away with any law that they propose, our society will no longer be free. Americans have a responsibility to future generations to protest unjust policies.

In conclusion, the foundation of our country models the value of protesting peacefully. Current and future generations greatly benefit from their example. We the students must choose to not sit on our hands, but rather take responsibility to speak up. Peaceful resistance to unjust law positively impacts a free

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