Martin Luther King Jr. and the Founding Fathers

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929. Dates are useful for textbooks, but unhelpful to almost anyone but historians when it comes to bringing any real information to mind.

In 1929, baby Martin, in his stroller, stood a good chance of having his chin chucked and being cooed at by a number of neighbors who had been actually born into legal bondage. A man or woman who today might just have reached the age when they are given Senior Citizen discounts at the corner cafe might well have been born the property of a United States Citizen prior to Dec. 6th, 1865.

Come that date, freedom (from being actually owned, at least) was recognized as the birthright of everyone in America. Of course, being legally no man or woman's property (as welcome a change as that had been) didn't mean that man or woman was universally recognized as an equal under the law. What it did mean was that, even as an ex-slave or the child of an ex-slave the First Amendment applied to you and you now had in your possession a weapon against oppression and tyranny undreamt of by your ancestors.

Much is made of the fact that many of the Founding Fathers of this country owned slaves, generally by people who, for reasons of their own, wish to downplay the greatness of this country and that of the men who risked their all, pledging their lives to realize the dream that became the United States of America. The Founding Fathers are charged with hypocrisy for daring to voice the Truth that all men are created equal while themselves denying equal rights to those bound in servitude by law. Well, and we are all hypocrites. For who among us does not hold some moral truth or ideal to which we aspire, though we fail miserably to maintain in our own lives?

Circumstances and every day realities dictate matters of conscience far more than we would wish. There are troubles, inequities and injustice that go with every age and are viewed with abhorrence and incredulity by the citizens of later ages. There are such today that will provide the average, decent person of the future targets at which to point, failings to chastise in 20/20 hindsight.

The amazing thing about the Founding Fathers was not that they were human beings, capable (as human beings are) of committing wrongs even while being aware of the wrongs they are committing. It was that they trusted in the intrinsic good of a free, self governing society to correct it's own errors if given the mechanism to do so. To this end, they forced themselves to accept the bare naked fact that they couldn't solve all the ills of the country at one go, and set themselves to ensuring that those who came to continue what they had started would have the means to address these ills.

What allowed Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to protest inequality? Who ensured his right to peacefully, but with uncompromisingly direct public speech address the grievous wrongs inflicted on a segment of American citizens?

The Constitution of the United States allowed Dr. King to protest. That right was ensured in writing by men who recognized that the complexities and contentiousness of an issue such as slavery could not be solved by decree without tearing apart the very union they were attempting to build.

These men trusted that the wisdom and essential goodness of the People would lead them to eventually recognize moral truth and strive toward it. “The the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances” was their vote of confidence in the country they risked their fortunes, families and lives to establish.

America's detractors cite slavery as one of it's Big Evils, one for which all White Americans hold some sort of collective and never to be expiated guilt. Slavery is evil, of course, we all know that now...well, except for people living in cultures where it is still an accepted (though sometimes officially unlawful) practice. But for thousands of years, throughout much of the populated world, slavery was not considered evil. One human being owning another and directing his whole life was a normal, accepted, traditional practice. Even upon official condemnation of the practice, societies often found ways to get around the law, creating groups of who could be called FINO (Free In Name Only), people who were legally free to direct their own destinies but practically barred from doing any such thing.

It took many civilizations/cultures/countries thousands of years to come to the realization that slavery was evil, and to end it. It took the young United States of America only 89 years from claiming it's independence. But this fact is rarely recognized by those who prefer we self-flagellate over historical sins rather than take pride in our country.

Martin Luther King Jr. believed in America, recognizing it's greatness while having ample reason to be aware of it's imperfections. As a Christian, he was aware as well that he, and all people, no matter how they strive to be righteous of intent, honorable of action and just of purpose, are flawed by their very nature as human beings. This belief and awareness are things he shared with the Founding Fathers who, in securing for their descendants liberty, provided the tools with which he fought to secure equality for his.