When Silence is Betrayal
Martin Luther King Jr.
"A time comes when silence is betrayal. Even when pressed by the demands of inner truth, men do not easily assume the task of opposing their government's policy, especially in time of war. Nor does the human spirit move without great difficulty against all the apathy of conformist thought, within one's own bosom and in the surrounding world."
On the duties of government to its people:
Article V, Section II, Massachusetts State Constitution, Encouragement of Literature, etc. (sic)
Wisdom, and knowledge, as well as virtue, diffused generally among the body of the
people, being necessary for the preservation of their rights and liberties; and as
these depend on spreading the opportunities and advantages of education in the
various parts of the country, and among the different orders of the people, it shall
be the duty of legislators and magistrates, in all future periods of this
Commonwealth, to cherish the interests of literature and the sciences, and all
seminaries of them; especially the university at Cambridge, public schools, and
grammar schools in the towns; to encourage private societies and public
institutions, rewards and immunities, for the promotion of agriculture, arts,
sciences, commerce, trades, manufactures, and a natural history of the country; to
countenance and inculcate the principles of humanity and general benevolence, public
and private charity, industry and frugality, honesty and punctuality in their
dealings; sincerity, good humour, and all social affections, and generous sentiments
