“One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty” -Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. argues in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” that it is our duty to break a law if it is unfair. King advocates disobeying a country’s prejudice laws in order to avoid immorality. Similarly, Henry David Thoreau argues in “Civil Disobedience” that if a law requires a person to be unjust to another, they should break it. Thoreau also argues that morality costs less than obeying an unjust law. While King and Thoreau have similar ideas for unjust laws, they differ on how they create change for them.
An unjust law cannot be considered a law because it lessens a person's worth. King believes that unjust laws are immoral and should be broken; although after a person has broken an unjust law, they must take the punishment with acceptance, “I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and who willingly accepts the penalty...is in reality expressing the highest respect for law” (King 4). By accepting their punishment graciously, a person receives the sensation that they have righted their wrong. Thoreau also believes that the justice system is as immoral as following an unjust law. He argues that a person who blatantly cheats …show more content…
He thinks that change begins within the community. First you must get the attention of your peers. After tension has been created in the community, it will begin to promote change and allow for negotiation, “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that community which has constantly refused to negotiation is forced to confront the issue” (King 2). The second step of change would be at the state level, followed by the national level. Opening the communities eyes first creates unrest between the people, which urges the government to resolve the injustice as soon as
An unjust law cannot be considered a law because it lessens a person's worth. King believes that unjust laws are immoral and should be broken; although after a person has broken an unjust law, they must take the punishment with acceptance, “I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and who willingly accepts the penalty...is in reality expressing the highest respect for law” (King 4). By accepting their punishment graciously, a person receives the sensation that they have righted their wrong. Thoreau also believes that the justice system is as immoral as following an unjust law. He argues that a person who blatantly cheats …show more content…
He thinks that change begins within the community. First you must get the attention of your peers. After tension has been created in the community, it will begin to promote change and allow for negotiation, “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that community which has constantly refused to negotiation is forced to confront the issue” (King 2). The second step of change would be at the state level, followed by the national level. Opening the communities eyes first creates unrest between the people, which urges the government to resolve the injustice as soon as