Dr King Letter From Birmingham Jail

Dr. Martin Luther King is and was worldly known for his peacefully protest and moral advocacy during the the civil rights movement. Racism was a social norm occurring frequently especially in the south. African American rights were to a minimum or you could also say they had “negative rights”. With respect to the government, I believe Dr. King was in some ways forced to break the law. Dr. King in A letter from Birmingham Jail states that, “We urge people to obey the Supreme Courts decision from 1954 outlawing segregation.” In other words, Dr. King didn’t believe that the rights granted to African Americans were morally correct, but he wanted his followers to protest understanding the difference between “just” and “unjust” laws. From segregation

King clearly respected the laws of the land. He didn’t fight, argue, or use violence. When accused of a crime, Dr. King went to jail and did his time for parading without a permit to do so. Whether it be considered right or wrong Dr. King obeyed the law but admitted he was against supporting “unjust” laws. The issue coming into play is when Dr. King attempts to make peace or in other words reconcile the he is breaking a law for the greater good of his followers. Dr. King displayed Deontological Ethics by choosing the right action and the nature of duty in order to protect African Americans and help provide the greatest good of justice and equality for all. Dr. King admits that breaking the law was a wrongful act but that he broke an “unjust” law. He broke a law built to morally disgrace African Americans and disregard them of equal rights. With respect to the laws of the land Dr. King tells his people that this “unjust” law is not god made, its not in the bible, its simply a man made ruling in attempt to digrade African Americans towards equal

Positive rights could consist of better schooling, better housing, better care. Negative rights would be unequal school, left over housing, or lack of acknowledgment. Although morally wrong, this issue continues to happen in modern day society. An opened essay from the Monterey County Herald proves that when a man was overlooked in line to eat and also overlooked in line for pool laps. Who knows the real reason but it seems as though racism played a major contribution in his discrimination. It was almost as if he was invisible. The universal code is that if you’re next in line, it is your term regardless of who you are. You could be a racist ex con, but if your next in line Human Rights are automatically what determine your rights. Dr. King attempted to bring about soft universalism in society today. Nina Rosenstand of The Moral of The Story expresses that We are supposed to represent a soft universalistic personality in society. The idea that, “there are some basic rights that are essential to living a good life no matter who someone is or where they live.” Hard universalism on the other hand believes that there is one code of conduct that applies everywhere and that anything outside that code is morally wrong. Its hard to determine which is morally correct because I believe there is one correct way of treating others and that is with equal rights no matter the person. That