Introduction
Both Martin Luther King Jr. and E. B. White present a picture of democracy in the U.S. in their “A Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “The Meaning of Democracy,” and the two proposed views of democracy are in sync. They seem to agree because both authors are trying to convey the same idea. Both figures believe democracy should be based on equality, which is the main common feature of democracy for both White and King.
“A Letter from Birmingham Jail”
Martin Luther King invested in the concepts of racial equality in democracy. In paragraph 14, he describes how, over the centuries of colonialism, many peoples of Western Europe have come to believe in their «exclusivity and superiority» (King, 1963, para. 14). King notes that in the United States, a country that was formed mainly because of the fight against slavery, after independence, the principles of the land of freedom were valid only for whites.
Using numerous metaphors, the author describes how the black population and indigenous peoples were subjected to oppression and discrimination. Ingrained racism became the ideological justification for the genocide of Indians, which was carried out by the American authorities in the 19th century (King, 1963). Therefore, it was proposed to take a course on tolerance to erase the lines between racial differences to achieve democracy.
Martin Luther King also used the opposite method in his letter, saying it is not a democracy. In paragraph 18, he talks about the “injustice of segregation,” citing Alabama as an example (King, 1963, para. 18). The concept operated in the country until the 1960s, when segregation was abolished at the level of laws (King, 1963). For 30 years, African Americans could not earn in the most profitable market of the twentieth century, which affected their “well-being in future decades” (King, 1963, para. 18). An example of how a racially unequal society is anti-democratic allows us to identify ways to achieve full democracy, which consists in the appearance of equality for citizens of different races.
“The Meaning of Democracy”
Like King, White puts a mandatory component of equality in democracy. In lines 6-8, the author describes the metaphors of everyday things everyone should experience (White, 1943). Although its equality tends to be class-based rather than racial, it still proceeds from the position of equal access of all citizens to public goods. This position is hidden behind the metaphors of “hot dog and coffee,” which are symbols of the middle class and indicate equal access to the moral benefits of citizens of all societal levels (White, 1943, para. 7). Since all people have the same ability to extract marginal utility from their income, its equalizing distribution is considered to be the main component of democracy.
Conclusion
The authors paint pictures of democracy in the United States, and the two proposed perspectives of democracy are in sync in both “A Letter from Birmingham Jail” and “The Meaning of Democracy.” Because both authors attempt to communicate the same message, they appear to be in accord. The primary characteristics of democracy that White and King have in common are that they both believe it should be founded on equality. Despite the writers’ emphasis on various forms of equality — White on class and King on race — their conception of democracy nevertheless starts from the premise that all people should have equal access to public goods.
References
King, M. L. (1963). Letter from Birmingham Jail.
White, E. B. (1943). The Meaning of Democracy. Harper.