Approaches to Unjust Laws: Lincoln vs. King

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The chapter contrasts Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King Jr.'s differing approaches to unjust laws, with Lincoln advocating obedience until they can be changed and King promoting civil disobedience for civil rights. It explores the democratic theory of citizenship, majority rule, and avenues for changing unjust laws within a democratic society.

What lessons can we take from the speeches of Abraham Lincoln for today's turbulent times? How did those speeches move the nation in Lincoln's day? Listen as political scientist Diana Schaub of Loyola University, Maryland talks with EconTalk's Russ Roberts about three of Lincoln's most important speeches and what they can tell us about the United States then and now.