Similarities Between Mill And Martin Luther King

Liberty has always been a central theme throughout history. Dr. Martin Luther King, a celebrated civil-rights activist, and John Stuart Mill, a renowned philosopher, have both made significant contributions to our understanding of justice and liberty. In comparing Martin Luther King Jr’s I Have a Dream speech with John Stuart Mill’s ideas on liberty in On Liberty, we delve into how their views, on freedom, justice and individual rights intersect and diverge. Despite both advocating for liberty, the unique contexts and methods of King and Mill shed light on the nature of this concept within a varied and changing society. Martin Luther King advocates for the free will of everybody no matter the color of their skin, ethnicity or religion; he wished
King addressed the systematic oppression of African Americans through Jim Crow laws and racial segregation. He also focused on the role the government has to play in dismantling these discriminatory laws as he mentions the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation which was a governmental act that abolished slavery; however, this did not guarantee African Americans true equality so, he aimed for further government action when he said “we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a cheque” implying that the government is responsible for fulfilling true equality as promised. Mill, on the other hand, primarily focuses on preventing individuals from harming one another and believed in minimal state intervention, allowing individuals to flourish without social or religious constraints, as long as their actions didn't infringe on the rights of others. “That the only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others.” (Mill