Injustice In 1984 By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Justice issues go far beyond the symptoms we can see and reach deep into the structures and symptoms

Each decade has it’s own defining events. The 1960s had the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the 1950s had the first people to ever reach the top of Mount Everest, and the 1940s had the infamous World War Two. But no decade in the twentieth century, other than the 1930s, has had one sole event define its entirety. This event was the Great Depression. Beginning in 1929, the Great Depression was present in every aspect of society from the richest CEO to the poorest pauper. Although the Great Depression dampened the American mood, it created a desire for security and stability in the United States while ultimately uniting the country politically through aspirations of reformation, economically through expanding Social Darwinism,

In other words civil disobedience indicates that the main objective of disobedience is to bring changes in the social or political order that would affect the freedom of citizens. Nonviolence is the right answer to moral issues and is crucial in politics for any government on our time the need for human mankind to overcome oppression avoiding violence without resorting to oppression with violence.

In Edward McClelland’s essay “RIP, the Middle Class: 1946-2013,” McClelland discusses to his audience that the middle class is slowly vanishing and soon enough we will only be left with the rich and the poor. Throughout the essay, McClelland uses various examples to demonstrate how the middle class will no longer exist. McClelland talks about how education is vital for pursuing a job at a reasonable pay that a person can live off of. Before, people were able to leave high school and go straight into a job with a pay that could support them. Nowadays, the same jobs that were supporting people before require a lot more education and still aren’t giving enough money that will allow them to live comfortably. Even though there are still jobs people can thrive at that will make more money without a serious education , the middle class is struggling to make it economically, because it is harder to find a job without education and financially it’s harder to make ends meet.

The essays, "Civil Disobedience," by Henry David Thoreau, and "Letter from a Birmingham Jail," by Martin Luther King, Jr., incorporate the authors’ opinions of justice. Each author efficiently shows their main point; Thoreau deals with justice as it relates to government, he asks for,”not at one no government, but at once a better government.”(Paragraph 3). King believed,” injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." (Paragraph 4). Each essay shows a valid argument for justice, but King's philosophy is more effective, because it has more logical points of views.

Free society means that everyone receives the same opportunities, no matter what race, gender, and/or sexual orientation a person may be. Throughout history, there have been many instances in which heroes went against different discriminatory laws in a peaceful manner. These actions have helped the United States become a freer society.

The African Americans managed to solve their conflict and resolution through acts of non-violence and struggle. Even though the actions taken by Malcolm X were of good intentions, they ended up causing a ripple between African Americans. On the other hand Martin Luther King Jr. identified that if people were going to respond to hatred with more hatred then there will be little chances for change and substance which was never understood by Malcolm. He was, of course, powerful and strong as an Africa American commanding huge followers and believers, but things did not end well as Malcolm X dies in the hand of his own people. This meant that change cannot be made through dividing a nation but through uniting the people. Therefore Civil Rights Movements of the 1960s would have not had the same impact if they had been led by Malcolm X instead of Martin Luther King.

On September 20, 2013, Edward McClelland wrote “RIP, the Middle Class,” an analysis of the decline of the middle class from the 50s, the 70s, to today. McClelland calls for action, asking that the U.S. Government end the destruction of the middle class. He uses many examples, such as decisions and policies from various past U.S Presidents, like Nixon and Clinton. These policies generally refer to a strengthening or weakening of the power held by unions and corporations over the decades, as well as the government regulation of business. Overall, McClelland disagrees with the direction this nation moves, hence the call for action.

In order for justice to prevail there must be a realization that there are unjust occurrences that need to be dealt with, there must be action taken to show how immense the situation is and how rapidly it should be dealt with, and there must be nonviolent demonstrations for superb end conclusions. There are 3 steps in order for justice to prevail which were ideas derived from Martin Luther King Jr., Lenard Pitts, Henry David Thoreau, and Harper Lee. Those three steps will be explained and discussed throughout this thesis paper.

McClelland constantly refers back to the working class of the 1970’s and 80’s. He presents the fact of high school dropouts being able to afford a nice car, house, and support a family. Everyone was able to get a job because work was always needed. On page 554, McClelland says how a car once required 25,000 hands, but now only needs 5,000 workers. This helps prove his argument on how the middle class is nonexistent anymore. American jobs aren’t in America anymore. He calls the government lazy and inactive, not caring about the Great Recession impact on the middle class. McClelland refers to a family that once made 27 dollars each

Martin Luther King Jr. finds himself in Birmingham due to the fact of the unfairness there. When people are in need of help, King describes that he feels he has to answer their pleas for assistance (King, par. 4). However, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that Birmingham is flooded with discrimination, explains King (King, par. 7). The whole nation is aware of Birmingham, states king; and they distinguish it by how savagely the law enforcement treats colored people. “Its unjust treatment of Negroes in the courts is a notorious reality” affirms King (King, par. 8).

Withstanding Injustice Throughout history, people all over the world experience countless forms of oppression. From devastating historical events such as the Holocaust to minorities striving for rights like Women’s suffrage, people struggled and strived to improve human rights and equality. Sometimes many of these situations of oppression may feel hopeless, but there is no situation that is impossible to improve. As Elie Wiesel said, “There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.” It is vital that people must not act as bystanders, but strive to make a difference in our world.

In the same way culture has influenced how I behave, it could also be a contributor to the unfortunate scenarios we so frequently see in our news casts of late. Some groups are already angry with authorities and see no problem confronting them, arguing, and refusing to comply with an officer’s requests. For instance, accounts of marches and protests during the civil rights movement could contribute to some in newer African American generations believing these are the only methods in which to gain justice. Whereas other cultures, might respond differently, complying, but consulting with a lawyer or filing a grievance, because historically for them, those methods have been effective.

The person that I chose was Martin Luther king Jr. The reason why I chose him is because he wanted us to become one race. He was tired of having white race against black race. His philosophy expresses on how society should be. He wants us to be together, help each other, and most importantly care for each other and I want that to happen in the future. His speeches are ethos and logos. His strong speeches are important because he has a dream that every black person will be treated equally and not as a slave. I believe somewhere in the future we will treat each other as a race and a human being no doubt in my mind.

Martin Luther King is an extraordinary man who has accomplished great thing in his fight against injustice and segregation. like Selma and other cities it was clouded in a storm of racism but Martin Luther King came and reduced it to ash. “I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear.” (Martin Luther King) and I think of that wondering if I can live up to those words. Back in the 20’s through 60’s racism was at it’s strongest and it got worse. Martin Luther King had a role model that shaped Dr.King into the man he is and that was his father. Dr. King has achieved many accomplishments and fought many political fights to get Civil Rights.