Equality: MLK

Question 1

MLK: context

Answer 1

• baptist minister
• Saw civil rights as a theological mission
• Came to promenance in the bus boycotts
• Assassinated in 1968

Question 2

MLK: three key ideas

Answer 2

racism was ingrained deeply in society due to slavery Racism can be stopped through non-violence Racism is interconnected with other issues like poverty

Question 3

MLK: racism in deep rooted in society

Answer 3

white Americans have a historic preconception of black people due to slavery Claimed racism was an inherited diseases from the founding fathers

Question 4

MLK: non-violence

Answer 4

• influenced by Ghandi’s non-violent protests in India and their success
• Strongly disagreed with the Black Power movement
• Believed in intensified black hate among the white community
• However, didn’t think the movement should be passive or to emulate the violent history

Question 5

MLK: poverty

Answer 5

• believes black Americans were trapped in poor socio-economic conditions after slavery
• Campaigned for a universal black income
• Condemned the government: An accounting error in the Vietnam war cost 10 billion The budget for poverty reduction was only 2 billion

Question 6

MLK: Quote
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere”

Answer 6

• Arguing that injustice cannot be isolated, harm done to one group threatens the whole society
• Reflects the Christian Idea of the Body of Christ- if one part suffers, all suffers
• links to ideas of intersectionality

Question 7

MLK: Quotes
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice“

Answer 7

• Rooted in Christian beliefs of gods ultimate justice
• Application: Long term ethical changes, why non-violence and patient matter
• Natural law Aquinas: natural moral order will always prevail
• Strengths: moral resilience
• Weakness: justifies being passive
• LINK: Satre and extensislist ethics, justice relies only on human action not divine destiny

Question 8

MLK: Quote
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin but by the content of their character”

Answer 8

• Rooted in Christian anthropology: Imageo Dei Combines religoiuse and ethical equality
• Ties to virtue ethics: moral assessments should focus on someone’s inner qualities
• Stregths: Encourages merit based ethical society -> Fits into ethical Christian teachings like justice, love, and forginveness
• Weaknesses: Some say it ignored ongoing systematic inequalities -> like institutional racism -> Arguing that institutional reforms are needed, charecter-based justice is not enough

Question 9

MLK Evaluation: Strengths

Answer 9

• Political Effectiveness: Led to tangible achievements -> Civil Rights Act 1964 -> Voting Rights Act 1956
• Non violence: Took a moral high ground -> Exposed the brutal treatment of Black American people
• Forced change by appealing to conscience of the moderate majority
• Deminstated a practicle application of Christian virtue ethics -> developing the ‘good person’
• Rooted in Christian Ethics: Demonstrated that Christian moral principle as are not just private, but have social and public consequences -> Embodied the Christian ideal of forgiveness

Question 10

MLK Evaluation: Weaknesses

Answer 10

• Too slow: The Black Power movement and figures like Malcom X demanded more forceful action
• Criticised for releying on appeals to the oppressor -> However, some argue that the government worked with MLK out of fear of the Black Power Movement
• Over relience on Christian morality -> Assumed America would response to Christian appeals to justice Increasing secularism ment not everyone shared this framework -> Limited appeal in a multi-faith context
• Structural change: Focused to much on individual changes of mind, and not changing of institutional structures that oppress -> Vietnam spending however

Question 11

MLK Evaluation: Nuance

Answer 11

• He understood that change would be slow and costly, seen though his willingness to face jail and death threats
• His dream was idealistic and strategically realistic
• Combined a religoiuse vision and political pragmatism -> made him unique in the fight