Martin Luther King - Cashing in on the Promises of Old

Martin Luther King was literally seeking to cash the check that was written by the founding fathers. They promised that all men were endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights that are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In all of history, no government had been formed with such promises, namely the sovereignty of the individual man.

America’s Promises

Martin Luther King proposed to put into reality for all men what the founding fathers put into the founding documents. He also sought to fulfill what Abraham Lincoln had accomplished, through the Civil War and procured in the 15th amendment. To bring forth the truth that these United States had promised the common man. To demand that the government keep all of its promises laid out in the Constitution, all the way down to the daily lives of its black citizens.

Promises Kept Are More Difficult Than Promises Made

The black community had been alienated even after the civil war, as those white Southerners both slave and non-slave owners were compelled by local Jim Crow laws to prevent equality of the newly freed slaves. The common folk of the south (non-slave owners) was now on the same equal footing. This caused them to be even more interested in preventing equality. The non-slave folk could not handle being on the same level as previous slaves because it caused them to actually fall into poverty. Both from a physical perspective, and from the fact that the people that were enslaved were now on the same level on the social-economic level. The reality of slaves being forced into the paid economy now caused the less productive common folk to fall into deep poverty.

Separate But Equal Cannot Be Equal

Jim Crow laws were the natural effect of upending 90 years of social norms in the south. Even though the 15th amendment was passed at the end of the Civil War it was a matter of social survival that board out the Jim Crow laws. These laws were mostly passed by local municipalities and southern states to keep the black community separate but equal. Martin Luther King’s position was separate but equal can never be equal.

Equal... Cash the Promissory Note!

Martin Luther King demanded in his speech, we have the right to be equal, based upon what the Declaration of Independence, the Civil War, and the 15th amendment declared. 100 years later Martin Luther King came to cash the promissory note that the forefathers including what Abraham Lincoln had promised. He sought the legacy of equality for all men. It was not just striving for equality for the black community but argued for the sovereign dignity of all.

Equality of All Men is Based on the Content of their Character

His speech called the, “I have a dream speech,” made one of the most important statements regarding equality. That not only are all men created equal, but they should not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

Have We Fulfilled the Promises?

The issue today is that even Martin Luther King’s vision has been twisted and tainted by many of the same mindsets that enslaved black people so long ago. Even though the Jim Crow laws have been done away with, the desire for control of the black community has not. The tools have changed by transmuting the physical chains of slavery into the chains of family, destruction, monetary, and psychological slavery. This was designed and implemented in the Great Society plan of the last century.

Controlled by the Dole

You’ve heard of being on the dole. After the civil rights act was passed, the same mindset that sought to enslave, was able to enslave the black community through welfare, destruction of the family unit, and limiting the number of opportunities black people had in the workplace. Taking generations of fathers out of the home and instilling the idea that a desire to work was a bad thing. Successfully controlling the black community by giving just enough money to keep them poor.

Meritocracy… Content of Character

True freedom is accomplished through meritocracy, as success knows no color. Let’s examine Michael Jordan. Nobody thinks of Michael Jordan through his racial ethnicity, he is remembered by his dominance on the basketball court.

The beauty of meritocracy is that success is tied to merit-based value. It is always tied to the quality of the value produced in the marketplace. It is never tied to race. The higher the merit the higher the profit/honor attributed to any person regardless of race.

Meritocracy Eliminates Racism

True meritocracy eliminates racism altogether! This is exactly what Martin Luther King was saying, when he said, he was looking for a time when the content of one’s character is the measure, not the color of their skin.