Essay Civil Disobedience - 1280 Words

To Speak or Not to Speak? Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received a Nobel Prize and was honored by the President of the United States for his contributions to society. On the other hand, he was prosecuted, convicted, incarcerated, and had his sentence reaffirmed by the Supreme Court. These explanations seem rather contradictory. If what he did was noble, why was he jailed for his actions? When we take into account these manifestations of the governments attitude towards Martin Luther King, we can safely make the assumption that the government is not always justified in the laws that it creates. Our governments original purpose was to keep order and ensure freedom to its people. As history has shown us, as in the case of African†¦show more content†¦He can tell his congressmen that he feels a law is unjust. If the congressman is unwilling or unable to change the law, he may make a proposition to change the law during the voting periods. The only problem with propositions is that they are a matter of app ealing to the majority. If the majority feels that there should be a change and enough people sign the proposition, it will become enacted. However, if the law is only affecting by the minority of people, these two routes will not create a change of a law. It is clear in such a case that civil disobedience is vital to insure that the government does not over-extend its role. Civil disobedience is defined by the Merriam Webster Online Dictionary as a refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government. The most popular example in U.S. history when this was used was during the Civil Right Movement in the 1960s. The Jim Crow laws at the time restricted African Americans from being able to attend public schools or use public restrooms that were designated as white only. Despite the fact that they had paid taxes like anybody else, these types of segregation laws targeted minorities and made them second rate citizens. It is evident that the Jim Crow Laws were imperfect as the humans that created them. Martin Luther King, who was sincere in exposing the governments wrongdoings,Show MoreRelatedcivil disobedience2309 Words   |  10 Pagesï » ¿IS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE JUSTIFIED? â€Å"The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference, and undernourishment. 1 â€Å"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world. Indeed, it s the only thing that ever has.2 History has shown us through the likes of Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr. who went against the greater power of their time to fight for injustice. These few respectableRead MoreLessons in Civil Disobedience828 Words   |  4 Pagesto its effectiveness, individualism, and past history of the world that has made immense progress. It is important to notice that if civil disobedience was not effective, then it would not be continually used to disobey the law. In The Role of Civil Disobedience in Democracy† by Kayla Starr, she explains why we have the right to participate in civil disobedience. â€Å"The U.S. Bill of Rights asserts that the authority of a government is derived from the consent of the governed, and whenever any formRead MoreEssay on Civil Disobedience1397 Words   |  6 Pageshistory, human beings have participated in acts of civil disobedience. However, in the last two centuries the belief and practice of it has been in full swing and has even brought on major historical events, especially concerning equal rights and just laws. Three major firm believers and activists in civil disobedience were Henry David Thoreau, Martin Luther King Jr., and Gandhi. All three of these men participated in acts of civil disobedience but each in his own way and for different reasonsRead MoreCivil Dis obedience Or Obedience?885 Words   |  4 PagesLaKyia Scott Professor Nelson English 1302 09 February 2015 Civil Disobedience or Obedience INTRODUCTION Civil disobedience is defined as the â€Å"refusal to obey civil laws in an effort to induce change in government policy or legislation, characterized by nonviolent means†; theories on this topic have been debated for centuries. (American Heritage Dictionary 3rd Edition pg161) Henry David Thoreau was well known for his refusal to participate in the political systems or activities of his era,Read MoreCivil Disobedience, By Thoreau870 Words   |  4 PagesCivil disobedience is the refusal to obey civil laws in an effort to induce change in governmental policy or legislation. Thoreau s infamous ideas on Civil Disobedience, written in 1849, have been monumental in the fight for change. It has helped influence change anywhere from the 1940s fight against Danish resistance, to the 1950s and McCarthyism. Thoreau s words have helped lead the way to freedom. It has made the people of the world think about how they are being governed and how theyRead MoreCivil Disobedience in Ameri ca1044 Words   |  4 Pagesobedient includes: religious beliefs, background, and work ethics. Civil disobedience played a large role in America. Creating protests, riots, and sit-ins, America had many examples of disobedience. In America, we value our rights as citizens and individuals. We have the right to protest as stated in the first amendment of the United States Constitution, which is called Freedom of Speech. According to the Webster Dictionary, civil disobedience is said to be â€Å"the refusal to obey government demands or commandsRead MoreEssay on Civil Disobedience738 Words   |  3 PagesCivil Disobedience Henry Thoreau wrote an essay about it in the 19th century. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached it in the South. Mahatma Gandhi encouraged it in India. Nelson Mandela went to jail for promoting it. The Bible says that Paul, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were all guilty of it. According wikipedia.org, civil disobedience encompasses the active refusal to obey certain laws, demands and commands of a government or of an occupying power without resorting to physical violenceRead MoreThoreau On Civil Disobedience1458 Words   |  6 PagesKonstantin Keller Anne Portman Philosophy 2010 4 December 2015 Thoreau on Civil Disobedience In Civil Disobedience, Henry Thoreau asserts that one should prioritize one’s conscience over the dictates of law. Thoreau begins his essay by arguing that government is rarely useful and that its power comes merely from the fact that the government is the strongest group, rather than because they hold the most correct viewpoint. He believes that people are obligated to do what they think is right and toRead MoreEssay on Civil Disobedience1532 Words   |  7 PagesAbstract Civil disobedience is the term assigned to actions taken by individuals to sway public opinion about laws that individuals deem unfair or unjust. Actions taken are usually nonviolent, and can include sit-ins, mass demonstrations, picket lines, and marches. Citizens are acting on their consciences, demonstrating highly advanced moral reasoning skills. Generally, these advanced skills fall into Kohlberg’s Six Stages of Moral Development, Stage Five and Six in particular. Characteristics ofRead MoreCivil Disobedience And The Apartheid1428 Words   |  6 Pages Throughout history, civil disobedience has been used to bring about change across a wide variety of civil rights issues. In India, Mahatma Gandhi used civil disobedience to nonviolently protest against the British Raj and, after a thirty-year struggle, earn independence both for himself and his people. In the United States, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. employed civil disobedience to overcome both the Jim Crow laws that had oppressed the African-American minority and the systemic racism that was