... forcing concessions from the government. This refers to people that break a law that they think is unjust, that only do this to bring the unjust law to light so everyone can see how unjust the law really is. Not everyone who breaks a state law because they think it is unjust is a civil disobedient, Martin Luther king Jr., was not a civil ... way to go. Van Dusen makes a good point, if we act on a large scale then we are not hurting the unjust law but we are hurting democracy its self. Thoreau states that if unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amen...

• Word Count: 638
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Thoreau's Civil Disobedience poses the question of what a man should do if in the situation of following or not following an unjust law. Should this person follow the law and disobey his conscience? Thoreau's essay advocates how one must decipher his conscience and decide whether he is for or against an institution's laws. In the beginning of Thoreau's essay ... he asks what a person should do if he is faced with an unjust law. He argues that most people abide by that law until the majority is persuaded to change it. The majority, he states, is not necessarily the right opinion- it is merely ...

• Word Count: 326
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... what he saw as an "unjust" as well as what he felt a "just" law was. The most important point that both men made regarding law was that "just" laws should definitely be obeyed, where "unjust" laws must be disobeyed. They felt it was every person's moral obligation, whether they were the minority or not, to stand up to the "unjust" law and take action themselves. Justice ... , over human history, has had an infinite number of definitions. Both King and Thoreau had very similar views on what justice is. They break justice into two categories, "unjust" and "just" laws. Justice, they feel, i...

• Word Count: 1210
• Approx Pages: 5
• Grade Level: High School

... a common theme in Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience and Martin Luther King's Letter From A Birmingham Jail. In Civil Disobedience Thoreau clarifies that following an unjust law is a violation of ones conscience. Also, if a person is faced with an unjust law they should not only disobey it but also strive to somehow change it. In King's Letter From a Birmingham Jail he outlines the reasons for ... 's unwillingness to stand back and watch injustice. Action must be taken and the person must be willing to face the full consequences. King believes, "one has a moral responsibility to di...

• Word Count: 446
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: High School

... century individualist, wrote an essay called "Civil Disobedience" in which he explained his reasons for not paying taxes to a government that was involved in an unjust war with Mexico. Although these works were written for different causes, the two are similar in some ways. Both are similar in how they get the ... He told about the injustice in having slavery in a civilized society. He repeatedly referred to slavery whenever he began to talk about the government's unjust laws. Many who believed in the abolition of slavery may have sided with Thoreau on some of his feelings about the gov...

• Word Count: 1034
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... century individualist, wrote an essay called "Civil Disobedience" in which he explained his reasons for not paying taxes to a government that was involved in an unjust war with Mexico. Although these works were composed for different causes, the two have similarities. Both are similar in how they engage the reader to see ... "practiced superbly by the early Christians who were willing to face hungry lions and the excruciating pain of chopping blocks, before submitting to certain unjust laws of the Roman Empire." This appeals to the clergymen directly. The purpose for which they stand onl...

• Word Count: 1097
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... saw intolerance and wanted a change in the American government. Both of these intelligent men wrote their ideas about what they saw and felt could be done about injustice. King said, "A law is unjust if it is inflicted on a minority that as a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting or devising the ... something unfair for someone else does not seem right. King and Thoreau went through it and changed the world. King quotes, "I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to a...

• Word Count: 786
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

... the strongest group. He contends that a citizen's first obligation is to cling to his or her own belief of what is right and not blindly follow the law dictated by the majority. In addition, Thoreau also believes that when a government is unjust, people should detachment themselves from its control and make it their civic-minded duty to avoid membership in any such ... his responsibility as a free citizen to express his discontent with the system. Thoreau seems to adopt an almost quizzical tone when he openly ponders how government can treat the most law-abiding citizen like a common cr...

• Word Count: 1220
• Approx Pages: 5
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... equality before there can be justice. It is plain to see and understand that children and adults are not equal; they have different standards set forth by law. A child must reach the age of eighteen before he can vote, and age twenty-one before he can drink. So why can he serve an ... do not believe in. After reading "Civil Disobedience" by Thoreau I have formed many conclusions about justice. Not only is it unjust for children to be tried as adults, it is unjust for me to have to support it. Having to pay taxes that give the money to aid the courts in sending juveniles to ... more harm ...

• Word Count: 883
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... idea of passive resistance. He contends that people's first obligation is to do what they believe is right and not to follow the law given by the majority. When a government is unfair, people should refuse to follow the law and put themselves away from the government. He believed a person is not obligated to dedicate his life to eliminating evils from the world ... , but he is obligated not to participate in such evils. Thoreau further argued that the United States fits his criteria for an unjust government, given its support of slavery and ... effectiveness of reform within the governm...

• Word Count: 286
• Approx Pages: 1
• Grade Level: High School

... 's perception of right and wrong. King combines this effectively and wisely inserts it in the piece, thus appealing to his selected audience in the ethical aspect: "One who breaks the unjust law must do so openly, lovingly and with a willingness to accept the penalty". Here King approaches his audience in a humble manner stating that one should hold himself responsible for his actions ... the argued problem rather than complaining about the issue, his appeal would stand firmer. In conclusion, both pieces emphasize on the rights and duties of the individual when he encounters unjust laws ...

• Word Count: 811
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... alcohol is? Should the government assume these responsibilities, or should the conscious individual citizens decide if things are right for them? "It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right"(CD 36). After all, it was the United States government that allowed slavery to exist for more than fifty years. And this same government ... power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly"(CD 40). Thoreau's "Declaration of the Independence for the Conscious," reflects his belief in using nonviolent but complete resistance to an unjust government, in...

• Word Count: 399
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... 's perception of right and wrong. King combines this effectively and wisely inserts it in the piece, thus appealing to his selected audience in the ethical aspect: "One who breaks the unjust law must do so openly, lovingly and with a willingness to accept the penalty". Here King approaches his audience in a humble manner stating that one should hold himself responsible for his actions ... the argued problem rather than complaining about the issue, his appeal would stand firmer. In conclusion, both pieces emphasize on the rights and duties of the individual when he encounters unjust laws ...

• Word Count: 808
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

Thoreau would be very much inclined to disagree with the main point of Socrates" argument dealing with the law of Athens in "Crito." However at the same time, various points in Thoreau's argument do in fact coincide with Socrates" argument for obedience. Throughout "Apology," Socrates continued to bring up ... whatever it instructs you to endure" (Socrates 51). Ultimately Thoreau would consider Socrates" enduring devotion to Athenian government and society despite its injustices ignorant and dissolute as he believes that "law never made men a whit more just, by means of their respect for it"...

• Word Count: 557
• Approx Pages: 2
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... Disobedience puts forward ideas of passive resistance, which were later, more fully explored and effected by Gandhi. (Encarta) According to these ideas, people practicing civil disobedience break the law because they consider it unjust and they want to call attention to its injustice. By doing so, they hope to bring about its repeal or amendment. They are also willing to accept any ... penalty, such as imprisonment, for breaking the law. At one point in the essay Thoreau plainly declares, "All voting is a sort of gaming, like checkers or backgammon, with a slight moral ... ...

• Word Count: 946
• Approx Pages: 4
• Has Bibliography

... 's reason alone. King describes logically the four steps of a nonviolent campaign: "(determining) whether injustices exist; negotiation; self-purification; and direct action."" He cites the words of Saint Augustine, ""an unjust law is no law at all."- He reminds us that "Jesus was an extremist- too and "everything Adolph Hitler did in Germany was legal."" He appeals to the hearts of his audience with ... ...

• Word Count: 630
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... society. He felt that people must be free to act upon their own idea of right and wrong. In "Civil Disobedience", he said that people should not obey any law they think is unjust. This essay greatly influenced many leaders of the American civil rights movement, such as Martin Luther King Jr. Thoreau also wrote Walden, a book in which he wrote in ... ...

• Word Count: 880
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School