A Single Garment of Destiny: Martin Luther King Jr. and the Promise of America

Of all the great nations of the world, the United States is unique.

For other nations, the basis of their national identity stems directly from a single nationality, shared culture, or religious expression. The United States of America, however, is very different. It was founded — and retains its national identity and cohesion — from a shared set of ideals. These ideals were best expressed in the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

But… as with all ideals… sometimes those that profess to revere them often fail to live up to them. Since that momentous July in 1776, Americans — of all races, religions, and cultures — have striven to live up to the lofty ideals our country was founded upon, and U.S. History is replete with the stories of their successes and failures.

A Struggle for Equality

Birmingham, Alabama in the early months of 1963 was one such time.

Set against a backdrop of deep racial tension in the waning years of Jim Crow , Birmingham was considered by some — including the Reverend Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. — to be the most segregated city in the South.

In April of that year, two prominent Civil Rights organizations — King’s own Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Birmingham’s Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights — joined forces in a coordinated campaign to pressure the city’s government and its merchants to abandon segregation. They hoped to apply this pressure to coincide with the Easter shopping season, the second largest of the year.

Although originally scheduled to begin in March, the campaign was initially delayed in order to allow for the conclusion of a pivotal mayoral election.

With the election completed, the protests commenced on April 3rd with a series of mass meetings, followed by marches on City Hall, lunch counter sit-ins, and a boycott of local businesses.

During the mass meetings, Dr. King stressed that this campaign must be grounded in a strict philosophy of non-violence. Even if provoked — and they could expect to be sorely provoked — they must not respond violently.

As the marches and sit-ins began, hundreds were arrested. Then, when a court order banning the protests was ignored, Dr. King himself joined those in prison.

On April 12, 1963 — Good Friday — Dr. King was arrested by local authorities and kept in solitary confinement. On the day of his arrest, eight Birmingham area clergymen wrote an editorial that was published in the Birmingham News criticizing the recent protests and calling Dr. King’s strategy — often referred to as direct action — to be “unwise and untimely.” In addition, they appealed “to both our white and Negro citizenry to observe the principles of law and order and common sense.”

A Letter from Birmingham Jail

Incensed by the position taken by his fellow clergymen, Dr. King composed a lengthy letter of his own.

Reminiscent of Abraham Lincoln’s letter to Horace Greeley, King explained the logical basis for his protest campaign and justified why African Americans felt the need to fight for their liberty in this way.

King’s arguments soundly deconstructed those leveled against him, while striving to inspire those who may have been inclined to support his cause. This he deftly accomplished by showing how the protests he organized and led were consistent with historic American values and the demands of our shared Judeo-Christian heritage.

An Agitator for Justice

King begins his letter by decisively responding to the charge that he is some form of outside agitator. Despite the close relationship between his own organization, The Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Birmingham’s Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights, King articulates a far more noble reason for his presence:

“I am cognizant of the interrelatedness of all communities and states. I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial ‘outside agitator’ idea.

Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider.”

He then tackles both the importance of direct action and the essential need for non-violence. He argues that such actions create “determined legal and nonviolent pressure” that might produce in society the conditions for meaningful dialogue.

“History,” King writes, “is the long and tragic story of the fact that privileged groups seldom give up their privileges voluntarily.”

Impatience

The clergymen then accused the protesters of being impatient and not waiting for a more opportune time to demand significant change. This inflammatory behavior, they argued, did little to sway popular opinion and was certain to do more harm in the long run.

King, however, thoroughly rejected this argument and reminded his readers of the pain and humiliation decades of unchecked segregationist policies had already wrought on the Black community.

“We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Frankly, I have never yet engaged in a direct-action movement that was “well timed” according to the timetable of those who have not suffered unduly from the disease of segregation.

For years now I have heard the word “wait.” It rings in the ear of every Negro with a piercing familiarity. This “wait” has almost always meant “never.””

Discerning Just and Unjust Legislation

The clergymen challenged King and the protesters on their advocacy for certain laws and their outright disobedience toward others. King patiently explained that the laws and edicts they disobeyed were ultimately unjust, and therefore he argued, illegitimate:

“One may well ask, ‘How can you advocate breaking some laws and obeying others?’ The answer is found in the fact that there are two types of laws: there are just laws, and there are unjust laws. I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘An unjust law is no law at all.’

Now, what is the difference between the two? How does one determine when a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law, or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas, an unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust…

We can never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was ‘legal’ and everything the Hungarian freedom fighters did in Hungary was ‘illegal.’ It was ‘illegal’ to aid and comfort a Jew in Hitler’s Germany. But I am sure that if I had lived in Germany during that time, I would have aided and comforted my Jewish brothers even though it was illegal. If I lived in a Communist country today where certain principles dear to the Christian faith are suppressed, I believe I would openly advocate disobeying these anti-religious laws.”

An Extremist for Love

One of the most troubling assertions made in the Clergymen’s letter was the accusation that Dr. King’s behavior and those of the protesters were too extreme. Although ultimately rejecting this argument, King embraced the idea that he could be considered an extremist by some. Turning that argument against his adversaries, he argued that his positive brand of extremism was not unlike other revered figures who accomplished much to advance human freedom:

“But as I continued to think about the matter, I gradually gained a bit of satisfaction from being considered an extremist. Was not Jesus an extremist in love? — ‘Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, pray for them that despitefully use you.’… Was not Paul an extremist for the gospel of Jesus Christ? — ‘I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.’ … Was not Abraham Lincoln an extremist? — ‘This nation cannot survive half slave and half free.’ Was not Thomas Jefferson an extremist? — ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’

So the question is not whether we will be extremist, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate, or will we be extremists for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice, or will we be extremists for the cause of justice?”

Lukewarm Acceptance

King was deeply disappointed by the criticisms leveled by his fellow clergymen, and he argued that they represented the arguments of those “white moderates” whose indecision and cowardice had done more harm than good to the cause of civil rights:

“Shallow understanding from people of good will,” King writes, “is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will.

Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.”

In closing, King scolded the clergymen for their praise of the Birmingham Police. Although the authorities proved far from restrained, they were careful to show “restraint” publicly — when the cameras were rolling — but, King argued, this restraint was not intended for true justice, but rather for the continuation of segregation:

“Over the last few years I have consistently preached that nonviolence demands that the means we use must be as pure as the ends we seek. So I have tried to make it clear that it is wrong to use immoral means to attain moral ends. But now I must affirm that it is just as wrong, or even more, to use moral means to preserve immoral ends.”

King challenged history to remember the courage and perseverance shown by the protesters in Birmingham who — despite being beaten, set upon by dogs, and hit with high pressure water — refused to respond violently:

“I wish you had commended the Negro demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer, and their amazing discipline in the midst of the most inhuman provocation.

One day the South will recognize its real heroes.”

Perhaps that day is today…

On this day of national celebration, when we recall the life and accomplishments of a true American hero, let us also remember the sacrifice and courage of those — of all races — who fought valiantly with him to advance the freedom and liberty of ALL Americans.

….and hopefully we will live up to their example!

“If I have said anything in this letter that is an understatement of the truth and is indicative of an unreasonable impatience, I beg you to forgive me. If I have said anything in this letter that is an overstatement of the truth and is indicative of my having a patience that makes me patient with anything less than brotherhood, I beg God to forgive me.

Yours for the cause of Peace and Brotherhood,

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.”

To Read Dr. Kings Letter from Birmingham Jail in its entirety:
Click Here.

Originally published at freedomsreach.com on January 21, 2019.