As the nation celebrates Martin Luther King day, many libertarians might wonder how compatible his views are with libertarianism. The libertarian Republican Congressman and presidential candidate, Ron Paul has said of Martin Luther King Jr., for instance:

“One of my heroes is Martin Luther King because he practiced the libertarian principle of peaceful resistance and peaceful civil disobedience, as did Rosa Parks.”

Martin Luther King’s struggle against the government, against the war in Vietnam, which he spoke out to criticize passionately, his belief in non-aggression, which is an axiom of libertarian political theory, but his belief in the necessity of armed self defense (something he shared in common with the pro-Second Amendment Malcolm X), as well as his use of civil disobedience and peaceful resistance to tyranny– all these things appeal to libertarians. But was Martin Luther King Jr. a libertarian?

Here’s Reason Magazine‘s take on the question, a pretty balanced answer and approach to understanding and contextualizing Martin Luther King from a libertarian perspective:

‘In the minds of too many Americans, King is primarily a “black” leader and the civil rights movement he has come to embody is principally the endowment of black Americans. But that view inappropriately qualifies the man and the movement. King wasn’t narrowly interested in race; he was broadly committed to justice.

…

King’s steadfast opposition to the conflict in Vietnam put him at odds with both President John F. Kennedy and much of the civil rights establishment, who believed his position jeopardized the movement. King responded characteristically in a 1968 speech:

Cowardice asks the question, “Is it safe?” Expediency asks the question, “Is it politic?” Vanity asks the question, “Is it popular?” But, conscience asks the question, “Is it right?” And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but one must take it because one’s conscience tells one that it is right.

King’s pursuit of justice wasn’t without shortcomings, of course. He possessed a deep skepticism of markets and championed progressive poverty remedies like the so-called living wage. More generally, his conception of “social justice” conflated unassailably moral aims like the repeal of Jim Crow with redistributive measures that promote equality of outcome at the expense of equality under the law.’

A more critical view of Martin Luther King from a libertarian perspective can be found at LewRockwell.com, which systematically examines various claims about Martin Luther King and his relation to various libertarian principles and ideals:

Myths of Martin Luther King

There is probably no greater sacred cow in America than Martin Luther King Jr. The slightest criticism of him or even suggesting that he isn’t deserving of a national holiday leads to the usual accusations of racist, fascism, and the rest of the usual left-wing epithets not only from liberals, but also from many ostensible conservatives and libertarians.

Why is a man once reviled by the Right now celebrated by it as a hero? The answer partly lies in the fact that the mainstream Right has gradually moved to the left since King’s death. The influx of many neoconservative intellectuals, many of whom were involved in the civil rights movement, into the conservative movement also contributes to the King phenomenon. This does not fully explain the picture, because on many issues King was far to the left of even the neoconservatives, and many King admirers even claim to adhere to principles like freedom of association and federalism. The main reason is that they have created a mythical Martin Luther King Jr., that they constructed solely from one line in his “I Have a Dream” speech.

You can read the rest at LewRockwell.com.

So Martin Luther King Jr. –libertarian or not?

I’ll let you discuss and decide…

Wes Messamore,
Editor in Chief, THL
Articles | Author’s Page