Civil Disobedience and Birmingham Campaign

Although Martin Luther King jr. is now known as a great leader, similarly to Thoreau, people often disagreed with his views and ideas. To prevent backlash from the

Alabama was often the epicenter of civil rights activism and steadfast perseverance for African Americans during the 1960s. It is where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. led his congregation and where four little girls were murdered and 22 citizens were injured when the 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed. It is also where Dr. King and other activists planned the march on Washington, where he and others leaders like John Lewis were met with violence but ultimately claimed victory in the Selma to Montgomery March of 1965. And who could forget the powerful images of the Birmingham Children’s Crusade of 1963, where young, non-violent protesters were met with high-power water hoses, beaten with batons and threatened by police

Both of these men's work was considered to be Civil Disobedience. However, their peers judge them differently due to their different circumstances. First of all, Martin Luther King was black and Thoreau was white. Since they

     Martin Luther King and Henry David Thoreau both believed that one should stand up for what he believes in, as wells as accepting the consequences for his actions. Even though they also had different views about what makes law just or unjust. First of all, Martin Luther King believed that a law that is just should be square with the moral law or the law of God. This basically means a law should pertain to the Ten Commandments according to the bible. He also thought an unjust law was one that was inflicted on to a minority who did not even have the right to vote for this law in the first place.

While both Martin Luther King Jr. and David Thoreau recognized that society needed modification, they acquired contrasting perspectives about the dilemma. King writes out of concern for the African-American race and believes that even though law states, something is wrong, it could be right. Thoreau believes writes out of frustration and that "Government is best which governs not at all." (Thoreau 407). King and Thoreau agree that everyone has the ability to take charge, on the other hand, their actions are distinct in many ways.

Segregation had become in the laws. The Birmingham Campaign was a peaceful protest planned by young

“... But if it is of such nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say break the law.” This philosophy, practiced by very few men, was the foundation of Henry David Thoreau’s and Martin Luther King’s morals and beliefs. Thoreau was an American transcendentalist in the 1800’s who had very strong views about the United States government at the time. He was against slavery and the Mexican-American War so he refused to not his poll taxes, which consequently landed him in jail for a night. Soon later, he wrote an essay, called “Civil Disobedience,” in which he spoke out on his feeling about government. King was an African American and was one of the most important leaders, not if the most important leader, of the Civil Rights Movement. King was also imprisoned but for nonviolently protesting against segregation. He later wrote “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” Both works, even though written around 100 years apart, have a few similarities. One is they agreed there was a necessity to reform government, specifically majority rule. However, they have differences such as writing styles and the two essays had two different topics and audiences.

Our lives are made up of the choices we make and things we believe in. Some people are quiet bystanders that sit back and watch the world fall, however, some use their voice to act on what they believe. After all, you do have to be the change you wish to see in the world. Martin Luther King Jr. was an activist for the equal rights of blacks and whites. Henry David Thoreau is mostly known as a tax resister and abolitionist who wrote to defy the government. In both literary pieces, King and Thoreau are concerned and disagree with the governments policies and ideals. “Duty of Civil Disobedience” and “The Letter from Birmingham Jail”, differ from one another due to their different audiences and how Thoreau speaks with more logos and factual evidence,

In spring of 1963 the SCLC, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, led by Martin Luther King Jr, organized a movement in Birmingham, Alabama: Project C which is more commonly known as The Birmingham Campaign. The movement was to help push the integration efforts of African Americans. The Birmingham campaign was led to be series of nonviolent events such as lunch counter sit-ins, marches on City Hall and boycotts on downtown merchants. While the members of the SCLC kept their nonviolent demeanor many police officers used the force of high-pressure fire hoses and police dogs. These violent acts yielded some of the most iconic yet troubling images of the Civil Right Movement. Despite the horrible acts of this protest it is known as one of the

If there is one thing that Thoreau and King can agree on, it's that something needs to be changed in the government; but the types of changes is where they are total opposites. “That government is best which governs least” (paragraph 1 line 1 “Civil Disobedience”).Thoreau feels like there needs to be little to no involvement of the government in people's lives. He concludes that the government doesn't keep us free or educated along with other things and feels that all these characteristics of american come from the character of the american people. “This “wait” has almost always meant “never”’( Letter from Birmingham Jail. Place of Publication Not Identified: Betascript, 2011. Web.).Dr.King's side is that the government needs to have reforms and change the way minorities (specifically african american) are treated and looked upon by both the government and the people of America. The government should be more involved in the help to end segregation and pass laws that help not hurt the minorities of America.Thoreau wants to less ofthe government while King wants to so more of it. Although their mindsets are the same, they are fighting for completely different sides.

Thoreau, Gandhi and Mandela each have their own beliefs on how the individual can affect change in the world through protest. However, despite their differences the philosophies of these revolutionary men were all also very similar because they came from different places and times, but were trying to do what roughly approximates to the same things. In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau states that government is important in order to preserve the freedom of individuals. Nonetheless, he believes that it is the duty of the individual to disobey the government when the government implements unjust laws.

Blacks were unable to join the N.A.A.C.P. due to the government making their activities illegal. If a black was fortunate enough to get a job in the city, it was as a porter or laborer, and promotions were only given to whites with no concern for ability against their black counterparts. They lead a boycott of businesses in downtown Birmingham, any business that would not allow blacks to eat at their lunch counters, would only hire blacks in menial jobs, did not promote the black employees they had, or displayed Jim Crow signs. Sale for these stores dropped 40% during the boycott. It was a new day in Birmingham on April 3, 1963; they were celebrating the win of Albert Boutwell for mayor. They then talk of everyone joining the non-violent movement. There was a copy of the pledge that had the rules of the pledge laid out and the call for action. The political structure was divided in Birmingham; there was resistance from their own people who did not want to be free. They were happy where they were, and did not want to cause trouble. They were afraid they were ill-timed, and that they should have given the Boutwell government a chance. The national press had sympathy for what was going on in Birmingham, but within the city there was little sympathy. They still went ahead and planned many non-violent protests and boycotts. This lead to many arrests of

David Thoreau and Mahatma Gandhi were both people that wanted to persuade others to follow their causes, and they did so in different ways. They wanted their conscience to come out into the open and be known by everyone around. They both were going against their government, but trying to be peaceful about their conscience. While there are mainly differences, there are some similarities.

In April and May of 1963, Birmingham, Alabama was a focal point for the civil rights movement. Birmingham was home to one of the most violent cells of the KKK and violence against black people was so commonplace (especially in the form of explosives) that it was referred to as “Bombingham.” It was these conditions that lead Martin Luther King to arrive and organize a series of non-violent protests in the city. These protests were relatively low key and weren’t very well attended. This was due to the fact that political rivalries between King’s organization, the SCLC, and other civil right’s organizations like CORE and the NAACP. However, the Birmingham protests soon became headlines due to the response of the city’s police

The media played a huge part in the success of the Birmingham campaign in 1963. For the first time the press lent a sympathetic view of the events as they occurred that day. Previous civil rights protest in Alabama had been unsuccessful. However, on May 3, 1963 this would all change. The media help was able to show the world the atrocities and racial hatred and intolerance that still existed in the South.