Essay on Civil Disobedience

Civil Disobedience is defined as refusal to obey civil laws or decrees, which usually takes the form of direct action (Grolier’s Encyclopedia Online 2). Thoreau wrote that people practicing civil disobedience, break a law because they consider the law unjust. People want to call attention to its injustice. Thoreau voiced civil disobedience as, “An expression of the individual’s liberty to create change” (Thoreau 530). Years later Martin Luther King Jr. took the same idea of direct action to protest the injustices brought upon black Americans in the United States. One major example was the Birmingham bus boycott. Blacks where treated unjust and often had to give up their seats to whites, and had to listen to racial slurs made by the bus driver. King like Thoreau, did not take a violent approach, he often used sit-ins and rallies to unite the black community (Encarta

The American duty requires to use voices, symbols, strength, and intelligence to unite and prosper against an unjust authority. Recently, different organizations continue to express their wants and changes to the government through peaceful protests. Civil disobedience strives to develop in America, however improvement continues to happen. The advantageous duty conveys civil disobedience. With Henry David Thoreau’s pivoting piece about individualism and protesting, Martin Luther King Jr.’s letter towards equal rights and rebellion, the developing civil disobedience continues to fulfill the American society.

Relating to several biblical allusions like Apostle Paul and Jesus Christ, he sensuously establishes credible authenticity and significance to his motives of civil disobedience against unjust laws; they assist in accentuating the justice within his “unjustified” actions. King also provokes compelling emotional tides of sympathy and compassion to overcome his readers when he provides sorrow-filled descriptions of the torments Blacks have to go through everyday. Furthermore, his usage of logic in identifying equality as a natural right of all men firmly defends his reasons on sanctioning desegregation. Leaving no loopholes behind his reasoning or ambiguity in his purpose, King competently succeeds in proficiently perpetuating his views on injustice and civil disobedience.

Civil disobedience, according to Henry David Thoreau in 1849, is the act of disapproving a law and accepting the concomitant consequences. Thoreau’s

Civil disobedience is the refusal to conform to a society or a set of laws. Civil disobedience has come a long way from its beginning. It has been developing and will continue for generations to come, as it is considered a duty of a person. The opinions and beliefs of civil disobedience cultured in our society by both Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. are still present in our modern-day society; nevertheless, these opinions and beliefs still need to be expanded in order to keep up with the fast-growing population.

We must keep in mind that King specifies his use of peacefulness in order to keep his honest conscience from playing a part in his actions. He considered the fact that he was a faithful member of the church in order to validate his reasoning behind his peaceful procedures. For instance, King conveys that, “I am grateful to God that, through the influence of the Negro church, the way of nonviolence became an integral part of our struggle” (King 5). He suggests that he is grateful to God because of his background being part of the church. King states that he wants nonviolence to become a part of their struggle due to the fact of his need of a good moral character and a clear conscience. He wishes for a nonviolent method of gaining free will since he is called for being a leader which obliged him to making honest decisions. King’s use of God gives the reader an idea about how much of a moral man he is. He not only abides by the law that governs him, although the law of the time might have been positioned in the wrong direction, but also to the principles set forth by himself to implement the correct judgments. Not only does King appeal to his religious beliefs in order to obtain freedom from the chains of oppression, but also to the values of the United States of America to sequentially be granted the God-given right, free will. For example,

There are many examples of civil disobedience. One of which is the story about Cesar Chavez. Along with how he stated The United Farm Workers

Civil disobedience is a peaceful form of political protest for the refusal of certain laws or acts. In “Letter From Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr., segregation is explained when, “Negroes have experienced grossly unjust treatment in the courts…

He then begins to state the opportunity that had risen to speak with the leaders of Birmingham, which leads to action and negotiation. Even though things were negotiated, as weeks and months went by Negros “realized that [they] were the victims of a broken promise” (King 2). He explains that laws have the ability to be just and unjust and that he will only follow and obey the just laws that agree with moral code and disobey laws that degrade human personality. Just because segregation is a law, doesn’t mean that it is just. The purpose of King making an argument against the Alabama clergymen is because he knows that in the Negros will win their freedom in the end simply because it’s their right and God’s

An example of this was when black people would do sit-ins in restaurants to protest segregation. This was very disobedient because the rule stated that no black people were allowed in the restaurants, but they still went in because they felt it was cruel and unfair. People being disobedient in history have majorly influenced how the world is today, because usually everyone has equal rights according to their race. Without disobedience, early scientists would never have gone against God’s teachings. It was very wrong to go against the church, and when Copernicus's did that by saying the earth revolves around the sun, the church suspended his book because it went against their teachings.

I would agree with St. Augustine that ‘An unjust law is no law at all.’” King’s writings reflect the centrality of civil disobedience in a free and democratic society based on limited government and self-rule.

Civil disobedience is the act of peacefully standing up for your beliefs; willingly accepting the consequences that go along with breaking the law that you find unjust. Peaceful and bold, civil disobedience gets your point across and makes a difference while still practicing grace and love. Many influential changes have come about because of others peacefully protesting for change over laws that took away moral rights of people. In most cases nonviolent protesting closes with the desired results (or at least a compromise) without the brutality and disgrace that walks with violent protesting.

be the just attendants of the land and of the governed. The Nature of man is

King. Dr. King portrayed himself as Christ in order to endure pain and suffering that the evil nature has brought into this world. Sometimes, it makes people ponder what would happen if Dr. King still live fifty years later. This fearless man stood against the odds and continued to work for the kingdom of Heaven. However, similar to Moses’ life, Dr. King lost his life and never made it to the Promised Land. As life goes on, no one has made it to the Promised Land yet because God is progressing to bless people. Evil nature will promote suffering if people continue to live for God, but he will “bless those who hunger and thirst after righteousness in order to be filled” (Matthew 5:6). What the Beatitudes demonstrate is that people must learn to comprehend the importance of God’s blessing when people are compassioned for one another, showing mercy against neighbors who hurt us, and hoping for a new world of peace and harmony in Heaven. In Citizen King, Dr. King demonstrated them all. These blessings Jesus spoke wasn’t just laws, as scholars would say they are; these were the blessings for His people in order to make the world a better place to live. In conclusion, God will always progress future generations to continue Dr. King’s legacy to avoid violence and to remember Jesus’ teachings to make a united relationship between God and His

The common people, no less than the civil and military officials, shall all be allowed to pursue their own calling so that there may be no discontent.