Unjust Vs Reverse Discrimination

Laws are enforced to provide our society with safety, boundaries, protection of rights, and overall justice. The United States Constitution and Bill of Rights were established years ago to reduce the tensions and conflicts of our newly founded nation. It sought out to accomplish this by providing justice through an equal voice for all citizens. However, this equal voice for justice more often times than not is squandered and diminished. Things such as race, religion, and culture often times blur the lines of the law and fair outcomes in a court. Individuals feel that their beliefs are more important than the protection of rights and the deliverance of law or the law itself cannot go outside of its limitations to provide justice. This is apparent in the court cases of Marbury v Madison, Plessy v Ferguson, and the book To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee. These cases clearly exemplify that the law does not always provide justice, although it endeavors to do so.

An example of an unjust law is the test to become a registered voter. There was many different requires and even after meaning them a person could be asked impossible questions. These tests were impossible was due to the color of their skin or how the administration felt towards them. Another example of unjust laws is the segregation laws which separated people by race. They were separate but not equal. King builds logic to build his argument by mentions quotes from philosophers, saints and people with high credibility. These people were credible sources which supported his claims. In King's letter he quoted Saint Thomas Aquinas, he stated “an unjust law is a human law… [not a] natural law” (King 420). These unnatural laws degrade people and separate them also. It does not naturally occur people make these laws, and they usually occur with the corruption of government.

In Martin Luther King’s, “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he explains what he thinks is a just law and what makes an unjust law.So what makes a just and an unjust law? A just law, according to King, is a man made code that squares with the moral code. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. In the world we live in today most laws are just, but many issues are caused by prejudice people. Many are afraid to suffer the consequences that come with standing up for what is right. For me, suffering the consequences would be worth it if not everyone is given equal rights, one race is being attacked about a certain law, and if a law forces me to do something I refuse to do.

In the 1960s governmental policy regarding minorities in society was started in a conclusion from the social liberties developments. This was produced into results to balance separation towards minorities. The arrangement has favored those gatherings of individuals that endured in the occupation, instruction, and government parts. Other terms can used to describe affirmation action such as equal opportunities and race-based preferences. By allowing such a program like it, it has helped minorities into professions that beforehand were hard or not allowed entry into. Of all the groups affected, the group that was most positively affected would be white women.

King brings in the question, what is a just and unjust law? A just law is one that promotes good morals and is followed by both the majority as well as the minority of society. Martin Luther King Jr. defines an unjust law as:

Martin Luther King used the same idea of unjust laws to justify his actions and nonviolent campaigns. He used this idea to answer the question of how he can support the breaking of some laws, but not others? His simple answer was that there are two types of laws, just and unjust, and "an unjust law is no law at all." (80). He goes on to quote St. Thomas Aquinas, ."..Any law that uplifts personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust." (80) and says that any individual that breaks an unjust law and accepts the punishment of imprisonment actually has the "highest respect for the law." (81). King makes a very strong point in distinguishing just and unjust laws to advocate his actions, just like Stanton and Anthony do in their address.

In a society governed by sometimes strict and sometimes barely acknowledged laws, we tend to turn a blind eye towards incidents where the law is supposed to swoop in and save the day. Take, for example, the Reconstruction era after the civil war from 1865-1877, when America tried to rebuild its country and bridge the gap between the north and south after the divisive war. White supremacy leagues were created and allowed to exist by the government during that time because the law did not do its job by protecting all its citizens. It didn’t enforce the acceptance of the free African-Americans and didn’t encourage much, or any social change. I believe that laws are not the most important factor in overcoming discrimination and creating social

An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.? The Clergymen express great concern over King is willingness to break laws. King replies that this is an understandable concern since everyone follows the Supreme Court Decision of 1954 that states; public schools are not to be segregated. In other words King is saying the Supreme Court can hand down a just law and yet people do not obey it but yet they expect me to obey an unjust law. In Germany under Adolf Hitler every thing he did was ?legal? and the freedom fighters in Hungry did everything ?illegally?. Aiding a Jew under Hitler was considered ?illegal?. Because these things were legal did that make it right? No. Should people have obeyed these laws? No. These laws were made to suppress a group of people simple because of there religion. This is much like the segregation in the United States is it right because it is the law? No. Should these laws be followed? No.

The use of just laws was first abided by Dr. King in his “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” In this letter, he mentions the necessity of just laws in society and how individuals are morally obliged to follow them. He also makes a clear distinction between “just” and “unjust” laws, further advocating his beliefs. Dr. King defines the two different laws in his interpretation of what they actually mean in society. A just law is a human-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. In other words, a law that can uplift the personality of an individual is a law that is just. Also, citizens also have their moral responsibility in a constitutional democratic society to obey and abide by the laws of the country. In comparison to just

King uses logos to expertly define just and unjust laws, he does so multiple time offering several explanations and examples. A just law, he points out, can be unjustly applied as well. King states that an unjust law is one that is enforced on a minority group and not the majority, one that the minority group had no ability to vote for or against, and a law that promotes segregation in it application. King insists that an individual has both a right and a responsibility to break unjust laws. King clarifies the distinction he is trying to make and reassures readers that he is not calling for people to defy the law. King explains how nonviolently protesting a law while accepting the penalty openly is actually expressing a high respect for the law while advocating for change. King backs up his distinction of just and unjust laws when he notes that the laws in Nazi Germany allowed for Jewish persecution, and he would have broken those laws to support the oppressed class had he lived

Thomas of Aquinas asserts that “An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust” (Thomas 125). As we can see, this is where King connects to the words of St. Thomas of Aquinas regarding laws that govern society. To King, an eternal and natural law is a law that helps improve mankind. It should make the world a safer and better place. A fitting example of a just societal law is the law regarding seatbelt usage. Since many people were dying in car accidents from not having a seatbelt to hold them back, the United States Government implemented the seatbelt law making it mandatory for anyone operating a car to wear a seatbelt. This law would be considered just in King’s eyes because it helps save lives which in turn uplifts human personality. An unjust law in King’s time would be the law that allowed places to have separate bathrooms for whites and blacks. This law degraded a whole human race, so it would be easily considered as unjust. The management of laws in society can lead to the perseverance of the formation for a more just common good. Martin Luther King really ignited the search for the answer to the question of how we can form a more just society for the common

Discrimination is a known concept that happens everywhere, yet police and prosecutors are blind to it. Their ways of preventing crime are discriminatory in every sense of the word and they categorize people based on their skin color and where they reside. The disproportionate minority contact with the stop and frisk method is one of the ways that discrimination can be seen. “Code of the Street” and “Law and Disorder in Philadelphia” help dissect why discrimination is not seen by police and their agencies and also how police officers and their administration go about ways of preventing crime. The pressure within the police, community, and courts create inequalities for the individuals going through the Criminal Justice System.

“Some employers used tests for hiring or promotion that screened out African American at a higher rate than white applicants, making it nearly impossible for them to be hired in any substantial numbers” (Vertreace, 2010). In many cases white supervisors or managers would make sure they interview just enough minorities so they want to appear not to be bias toward other races. They even pretend to follow company’s rules, but instead they make their own rules and dare someone to cross them. Nevertheless, there are not enough opportunities for black people to advance. If the only available jobs are low-income jobs, then the chance of living in poverty will continue for minorities.

King sums up what just laws mean, he uses man-made as a descriptive term. “A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God”(10). When King writes about moral law and the law of God, he is trying to say that just laws are laws that have been given from God when we were born, theses laws are not things that are tangible* to us. Just laws are imperative* because without them there would be an external* uproar for more freedom, this is what is happening in African American communities, They are turning to nonviolent direct actions to show that they want equal laws. He explains that unjust laws are the direct opposite of a just law.”An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law”(10). King states that any law out of the boundaries of the moral law of a just law, is unjust. A law not being justified by moral consent will not be equally fair to everyone, this is why King is fighting to change the image of the laws. Just and unjust laws are so important because they’re the reason why African Americans are fighting for their rights, they know that God didn’t send them down to just suffer, but to overcome obstacle that will make them

Racism is the belief that one race is superior to another. Discrimination has been going on for generations among generations. Many years ago people of different races were divided from each other. Public places were segregated, colored people had to use specific water fountains, schools were segregated, and blacks had to sit at the back of the buses. If they were to disobey, then there would be consequences and repercussions. Equality was a figment of imagination, a dream the minority groups had. Throughout the years racism has decreased and many things pertaining to racism were made illegal, but that doesn’t mean racism disappeared. If people were to resume racist behaviors, that can lead the world back to the days of inequality.