“From a Birmingham Jail” - Martin Luther King, Jr.

According to Martin Luther King, Jr, a just law is one that is morally right, and one that “uplifts human personality.” A just law is a law that all people will follow, not just the minority, or the group without power. Even the powerful will be willing to obey a just law. A just law is “rooted in eternal and natural law.”

On the other hand, an unjust law is one that is not morally correct, and “degrades human personality.” An unjust law is one that one group of people forces upon another, but do not themselves follow. An unjust law is created when a group of people (in this case African Americans) have no part in. If a group is excluded to the creation of a law, it may be unjust. Even just laws may become unjust if they are used in an unjust manner.

According to Martin Luther King, Jr. people have the “moral responsibility to disobey just laws” and obey just laws. People must be willing to accept the consequences of their actions: when they break a law, just or unjust, they must “willingly accept the penalty.” People must never allow an injustice to stand, but instead seek to right the wrongs and alert others to the injustices around them. People must be willing to “go to jail for consciences’ sake,” and accept it for the sake of their cause. People should treat everyone else as their brother or sister, father or son. All people must work together to make a better society for everyone, not select groups.

Henry David Thoreau tells us that all people have the “right of revolution:” to rebel against a government that does not serve the needs of the people. People should rely not on the truth as the majority or commonly held beliefs define it, but instead search for the Truth within themselves. People, and society as a whole, should be ruled by conscience rather than majority rule. If everyone follows what they know to be True and right, then good things rather than bad will be done, and the community will be better off.