…you express a great deal of anxiety over our
willingness to break laws. this is certainly a
legitimate concern. since we so diligently urge
people to obey the supreme court’s decision of
1954 outlawing segregation in the public schools,
at first glance it may seem rather paradoxical for
us consciously to break laws. one may want to
ask: “how can you advocate breaking some laws
and obeying others? ” the answer lies in the fact
that there are two types of laws: just and unjust. i
would be the first to advocate obeying just laws.
one has not only a legal but a moral responsibility
to obey just laws. conversely, one has a moral
responsibility to disobey unjust laws. i would
agree with st. augustine that “an unjust law is no
law at all.”…
— dr. martin luther king jr.,
“letter from birmingham jail,” april 16, 1963
which statement most accurately summarizes the
main idea of the passage?
(1) people must obey supreme court decisions.
(2) you can never break some laws while obeying
others.
(3) violence brings faster results than peaceful
protest.
(4) following moral principles is sometimes
more important than following the law.