Guan Williams 1-21-15 Period 2 AP Literature Although Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. lived in a different time frame in the history of the United States they both attempted to argue for the rights to disobey authority if there is social injustice. Thoreau analyzes the duty and responsibility of citizens to protest and take action against the corrupt laws of government. While King shows to his audience that the laws of the government against blacks are unsupportable. Both Thoreau and King believed in standing up for what they believed in, which was disobeying unjust laws. An although, they were disobeying unjust laws, they were still disobeying laws, which is why they both suffered consequences from the law.
Nonviolence, civil disobedience, is justifiable because it obligates individuals to promote justice, equality, and solutions by them refusing to obey laws or/and policies that are unjust. Historically, civil disobedience has been used as one of the most outstanding examples in the 1950s to promote justice for “colored-people”. The Civil-Rights Movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. engaged acts of nonviolence to protest segregation and justice. Peaceful marches, boycotts, and sit-ins were performed by colored individuals that pursued equal rights in the United States. They wanted the same rights as a white person; the right to vote, the right to attend school, and the right to sit on the front seats of public buses.
Martin Luther King Jr. states “Oppressed People cannot remain oppressed forever.” (Cahn, 2009 p. 387) As we have seen throughout history, this is a true statement. Oppression is not something that sits well with any type of person that is under the oppression. To resist the oppression, one must carefully chose those laws that they fill are unjust and oppresses them, and once they are chosen then one can make a stand against the oppression. Oppression is unjust law that limits the power of the people that are oppressed into feeling powerless. The United States fought of the oppression over the colonies in the late 1700’s by first peacefully protesting the unjust taxes waged against them.
Henry David Thoreau, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, Jr., all took a stand for what they felt were unjust laws. Many social reforms we take for granted were made by those practicing civil disobedience. There are also many examples of civil disobedience in today’s society. Pro-life protesters and religious group protesters, are all examples of people practicing civil disobedience. “Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it.” (2) This quote was by Henry David Thoreau.
The play, Antigone, deals with some of the most basic problems that affect society. One of them is civil disobedience. The actions of the White Rose movement and of Antigone show that the act of civil disobedience can be, if properly managed, as effective as violence in creating change in the world. In order to relate the actions of Antigone and The White Rose to civil disobedience, what civil disobedience is must first be understood. The phrase “civil disobedience” first originated in an essay, “Resistance to Government,” by the American author Henry David Thoreau.
Nguyen 1 Matthew Nguyen Mrs. Arciero Academic English II 14 March 2011 The Political Messages and Thoughts in Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” For generations people have disagreed with the laws and policies of their leaders. Some have felt powerless to act, while others took violent action to protest what they perceived to be unfair laws, oppressive regimes, or unjust wars. A few felt morally responsible to express, through non-violent means, opposition to power even when it meant defying the law of the land. Those few have changed the world. Henry David Thoreau is credited as one of the founders of the Transcendentalism movement in America and one of the most important writers during that literary period.
Critically examine the criticisms that have been levelled against the use of stop and search by the police? Are these criticisms justified? Give reasons for your answer. Stop and search powers governed by the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) of 1984 has always been a supreme controversy relating to and directly implicating the police and the public. These concerns directly impact human rights, the law and everyday life for those affected particularly the young and ethnic minority groups since these are the groups disproportionately represented moreover allegations still exist that despite the Steven Lawrence case of 1993, institutional racism still exists.
Society changed in many ways. America developed the concept of a mass society where the focuses were independent women, freer love, standardized culture, urban energy and impersonality, and growing alienation with the rest of the world. Fundamentalism versus Darwinism divided parts of the country. Fundamentalists are defenders of traditional religion. A prime example of Fundamentalism in America was when the state of Tennessee passed a law to make it illegal to teach evolution in public institutions.
Civil Disobedience Civil disobedience is a public, nonviolent, political act contrary to law usually done with the aim of bringing about a change in the law or policies of the government. The idea of civil disobedience is deeply rooted in our civilization, with examples evident in the life of Socrates, the early Christian society, the writings of Thomas Aquinas and Henry David Thoreau, and theIndian nationalist movement led by Gandhi.The many occurrences of civil disobedience throughout American history have had a profound impact on the legal system and society as a whole. The Constitution does not provide immunity for those who practice civil disobedience, but because the United States is a representative democracy with deep respect for constitutional values, the system is uniquely responsive to acts of civil disobedience.The fundamental justification for civil disobedience is that some persons feel bound by philosophy, religion, morality, or some other principle to disobey a law that they feel is unjust. As martin luther king Jr. , wrote in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, "I submit that an individual who breaks a law that his conscience tells him is unjust, and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for law. " Civil disobedience is most justifiable when prior lawful attempts to rectify the situation have failed; and when the acts of civil disobedience are done to force the society to recognize the problem; when performed openly and publicly; and when the actor will accept the punishment.
government over the issue of legalized abortion. The broader American public has a long history of subverting unconstitutional governance, from the Whiskey Rebellion to the War on Drugs. However, the extent to which simple violation of sumptuary laws represents true civil disobedience aimed at legal and/or social reform varies widely. American interest in theoretical discussions of civil disobedience was also sparked by the Nuremberg trials, the security and loyalty controversies of the 1950s, and the pre-arms control years of nuclear power. The 2000s (decade) have seen some libertarian civil disobedience by Free State Project participants and others.