Civil Disobedience Or Obedience?

From the start of man fighting for freedom or his beliefs, the question has consistently been whether a person can wage a battle using words rather than actions. The notion of civil disobedience would seem to be an inept weapon against political inequity; history, however, has persistently proven it to be the most dynamic weapon of the individual. By refusing to pay his taxes and subsequently being imprisoned, Henry David Thoreau demonstrated this very defiance. Thoreau’s Resistance to Civil Government conveys the effectiveness of the individual conscience, renounces hypocrisy, and cultivates a sense of urgency where inaction creates a moral conflict. This path of responsibility paved by Thoreau gave our leaders of today the means they

According Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience, he mentions that to require civil disobedience, the circumstances must be like America’s. Circumstances like practicing war, deriving power from the people, having unjust laws, and supporting slavery. Thoreau writes, “must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislation?” (Thoreau ). He mentions how no man should be subdued to any government or institution, especially if it portrays unjust. Therefore he also implies that if a law exhibits unjust, the population should not follow the law with the knowledge of the consequence. Similarly, Thoreau establishes, “when . . . a whole country is unjustly overrun and conquered by a foreign army, and subjected to military law, I think that it is not too soon for honest men to rebel and revolutionize,” (Thoreau ). He explains how it expresses the duty of Americans to rebel and use civil disobedience, it is not just a right, but it drives Americans to be aware of and completely use for the advantage of society. Thoreau further explains the unlawful government by stating, “I cannot for an instant recognize that political organization as my government which the slave's government also,” (Thoreau ). He describes the circumstance of America as a prejudiced institution, which rightfully allows citizens to use their duty of civil disobedience. A government should require unjust laws, slavery, aggressive law, and strength over intelligence to cause civil disobedience. However, civil disobedience a citizen’s duty and they must maintain it.

Henry David Thoreau wrote Civil Disobedience, which is about him trying to persuade citizens that their obligation is to contravene and correct the unfair laws of the government. Thoreau begins Civil Disobedience with the view point “That government is best which governs least”

The belief of civil disobedience that is evident in present day America was created by Henry Thoreau. In the history of mankind, Thoreau is most notably known for his creation of the ideology that encourages improvement of the government, but only for specific reasons. This belief created by Thoreau became known as civil disobedience through the publication of his essay titled “Civil Disobedience.” In the essay, Thoreau continuously advised for the improvement of a government and also the person in that society, which he also believed the government reflected the will of an individual. Thoreau believed that civil disobedience against the government was necessary, but only for specific reasons. In the reading, Thoreau stated many reasons why one should not conform to the government, such as “But when the friction comes to have its machine, and oppression and robbery are organized, I say, let us not have such a machine any longer” (Thoreau 3). Thoreau believed that one should change the government and not conform if that particular state has many injustices occurring against the masses in society. The metaphor in the quote establishes friction to resemble the government at work, such as laws passed and enforced on an individual. If the friction were to become unnecessary, harm the society, and benefit the government, Thoreau

     Any one can say that a law is unfair and unjust. However, who is really willing to accept the consequences for going against an unjust law? Is breaking this law really worth the punishment? The government is the one to decide whether a law is reasonable, but what if a member of the public believes that a law is not? Should he rebel against this law? Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. answered yes to this question and believed that one should speak out against an injustice. They both believed that government had many flaws. Even though they shared many beliefs in many of the same subjects concerning Civil Disobedience, they had many different

Civil Disobedience makes governments more accountable for their actions and has been an important catalyst for overcoming unpopular government policies. To voice his disgust with slavery, in 1849 Henry David Thoreau published his essay, Civil Disobedience, arguing that citizens must not allow their government to override their principles and have a civic duty to prevent their government from using unjust means to ends. The basis for Thoreau’s monumental essay was his refusal to pay a poll tax, which subsequently landed him a night in county jail. In his passage: “If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go; perchance it will wear smooth—certainly the machine will wear

The human race doesn’t take injustice lying down. Over the past hundred years, there has been many examples of people taking a stand for their own rights and freedoms through acts of civil disobedience, defined as “the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest”. While a quick glance at today’s society does show a much more accepting and proper view of people of every race, religion and sexuality, our world does not come without its injustices. I believe that these major injustices keep civil disobedience extremely relevant in our current, modern world.

Have you ever felt a rule you had to follow was unjust? Have you ever felt your moral instinct tell you not to follow it? Prominent figures in American history, Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau, felt this way and decided to not follow the rules imposed on them by indulging in “civil disobedience”. Civil disobedience is the act of peacefully disobeying laws or customs with the purpose of combating moral injustice. This form of protest has proven to be quite effective in making change in history. In “Civil Disobedience” and the “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”, both Thoreau and King Jr. write their justification for their actions as well as their feelings regarding the particular disputed

     In “Civil Disobedience';, Thoreau’s most famous social protest, He explains that it is our civil right to disagree with laws. He believed that people must be free to act according to their own idea of right and wrong, without government interference. In "Civil Disobedience", he said that people should refuse to obey any law they believe is unjust. Thoreau practiced this type of passive resistance when, in 1846, he refused to pay poll taxes. He did so to express his opposition to the Mexican War. Thoreau spent one night in jail for his refusal.

In society, obedience to authority is ingrained in humanity from an early age, causing some individuals to blindly obey orders without contemplating the credibility of the source. In psychoanalyst Erich Fromm’s article “Disobedience as a Psychological and Moral Problem,” he explains that throughout human history obedience has been associated with virtue and disobedience with sin (Fromm 127). Fromm suggests that our conscience is an internalized voice of authority (126). Fromm claims individuals need to distinguish the difference between rational and irrational authority because obedience is effective when individuals want to obey, instead of fearing to disobey (127). Two other authors who examine obedience are Herbert C. Kelman and V. Lee

Resistance to Civil Government (Civil Disobedience) is an essay written based on his disproval’s and arguments about mistreatment from the government. Within Henry David Thoreau essay, he points out his views on how he sees people getting treated for being different. Henry David Thoreau believed that people should fight for their rights like everyone other citizens has. Henry David Thoreau illustrates in his essay, “But a government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice, even as far as men understand it” . Henry David Thoreau sees and knows that the government has no justice towards the people, those who get their rights see it as

I believe that Civil Disobedience as demonstrated by Rosa Parks, although unlawful, was constructive as it forged a new way of thinking. "You must never be fearful about what you are doing when what you are doing is right." Those words spoken by her exemplify the true meaning of Civil Disobedience or Peaceful Resistance. Martin Luther King Jr. best outlined the principle of Civil Disobedience when he said," True peace is not merely the absence of tension, it is the presence of justice."

Throughout history, there have been a plethora of laws that have fallen under serious scrutiny. Whether these laws are interpreted as just or unjust depends on each individual’s moral standing. As everyone has their own opinions on what may be considered right or wrong, civil disobedience can be an issue. However, the majority of acts of civil disobedience positively impact society because this allows individuals to peacefully protest laws that they do not deem constitutional. If a formidable amount of people are against and act against a certain act, steps towards justice are more likely to be taken. Without civil disobedience, the government could pass discriminatory laws with dire consequences, and people would not have a say in how they

Henry David Thoreau defines civil disobedience as the dynamic refusal to follow certain regulations/ legislations of a particular state. His theory can be defined by a collection of specific concepts about his thoughts on civil disobedience. One of the reoccurring main premises is proving that the overall authority of the state is dependent on the obedience of it’s citizens. A government with no governed, is powerless with out the consent of its peoples. By assiduously engaging in actions of civil disobedience, one is able to chose freely whether to abide by, or break the definite laws of the state. The theory states a certain individual has the legal entitlement to disobey the certain law that does not express their version of justice. The

Martin Luther King once said, "One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws." Civil disobedience is a ritualistic violation of the law; it does not go against laws or the government as a whole. We, as Americans, have a constitutional right to peaceful protesting when it comes to things that we think are unjust. Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society because it allows an opportunity for change in unjust laws, sets a positive example for the future, and unifies people to act for a common cause.