injust

Injustice anywhere is a Threat to Justice Everywhere

While both Henry David Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and John Rawls’ “A Theory of Justice” demanded change from their government to correct the social inequalities within their society. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, on the other hand, simply wanted African Americans to be just included within their own government. During the 1960s, the society that Dr. King lived in accepted and tolerated racial segregation within housing, health care, education, employment, transportation, and many others. Today’s society outlaws any discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, however before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 it was absolutely legal to commit racial segregation in our society. Dr. King was inspired by Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” theories and reasoning on injustice with unjust laws that action must be taken in order for change to occur. Dr. King in today’s society would be proud with how our society is now a color-blind society, but would be disappointed that the programs that once promoted integration of race is now a program that promotes segregation.
Thoreau and Dr. King shared the same concern regarding the inequalities that African American endured. The only difference was that Thoreau lived before the civil war and slavery was legal. Thoreau defines the government as a well oil machine and while “injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government”, (Thoreau pg.185) Furthermore, Thoreau says that if the government “is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law.” (Thoreau pg.185) Thoreau is stating that if the government is creating ...

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...qualification. Dr. King would disapprove of what Affirmative Action has become in our society and we no longer need this policy in today’s society. Some may say that Affirmative Action is still there to protect minorities from our society reverting back to the old racist segregation way. But for what cost, race or class should not be deciding factor and qualification should be.
There will always be some type of law that is unjust, however, Dr. King would be proud with how far our society progressed in rectifying racial inequalities. The fact that we have an African American as president is proof of that progress. To entrust the highest position of office in our country to a black man shows that we are climbing closer to that fine line of true equality. We may never reach that line but one thing is certain, we are closer to it than Thoreau and King have ever been.