"I Believe in The Law of Love" - Clarence Darrow

Decades before the day Martin Luther King Jr touched the heart of millions with his tremendous speech "I have a dream" on the topic of racism, there was this man, a white Clarence Darrow (picture above) who bravely opposed his fellow white men for the name of justice, and love.

The story begun in Detroit, when large number of black workers moved in due to the demand from growing car industry in the city. Some group of white men could not accept this. The racial hatred was getting worse with the stirred up of Klu Klux Klan rallies.

Henry Sweet, a black man who just moved in to the city was attacked by some group of white men. Rocks were thrown to his house, he was panicked and accidentally shot one of the attackers. Then this black man was tried for murder conviction. (If I'm not misktaken, in the United States, there's a law that says, in a life-threathening attack, one is eligible to protect him self even if it means one has to take the attacker's life. I guess there's also a law that says one can avoid some strangers to enter one's property with any means, but I'm not sure if he could kill the strangers).

Clarence Darrow is the white lawyer who defensed this black man. He argued that this case was about racism and not murder: "I insist that there is nothing but prejucide in this case; that if it was reversed and eleven white men had shot and killed a black while protecting their home and their lives against a mob of blacks, nobody would have dreamed of having them indicted ... Now, that is the case, gentlemen, and that is all there is to this case. Take the hatred away, and you have nothing left."

After four hours, the jury finally reached the "not guilty" verdict.

Here's the famous closing speech of Clarence Darrow in his defense of Henry Sweet, in April 1926:

I Believe in The Law of Love

Now, gentlemen, just one more word, and I am through with this case. I do not live in Detroit. But I have no feeling against this city. In fact, I shall always have the kindest remembrance of it, especially if this case results as I think and feel that it will. I am the last one to come here to stir up race hatred, or any other hatred. I do not believe in the law of hate. I may not be true to my ideals always, but I believe in the law of love, and I believe you can do nothing with hatred. I would like to see a time when man loves his fellow man, and forgets his color or his creed. We will never be civilized until that time comes.

I know the Negro race has a long road to go. I believe the life of the Negro race has been a life of tragedy, of injustice, of oppression. The law has made him equal, but man has not. And, after all, the last analysis is, what has man done?--and not what has the law done? I know there is a long road ahead of him, before he can take the place which I believe he should take. I know that before him there is suffering, sorrow, tribulation and death among the blacks, and perhaps the whites. I am sorry. I would do what I could to avert it. I would advise patience; I would advise toleration; I would advise understanding; I would advise all of those things which are necessary for men who live together.

Gentlemen, what do you think is your duty in this case? I have watched, day after day, these black, tense faces that have crowded this court. These black faces that now are looking to you twelve whites, feeling that the hopes and fears of a race are in your keeping.

This case is about to end, gentlemen. To them, it is life. Not one of their color sits on this jury. Their fate is in the hands of twelve whites. Their eyes are fixed on you, their hearts go out to you, and their hopes hang on your verdict.

This is all. I ask you, on behalf of this defendant, on behalf of these helpless ones who turn to you, and more than that,--on behalf of this great state, and this great city which must face this problem, and face it fairly,--I ask you, in the name of progress and of the human race, to return a verdict of not guilty in this case!


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:) have a nice day!