Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society. However, achieving the result that one is seeking through such means can take years and require perseverance, determination and unfailing dedication to the cause. In addition, operating within a fundamentally just government, or a free society, is significant for this to proceed successfully because it suggests that a sound foundation already exists from which growth may evolve.
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. clearly stated his beliefs regarding “just and unjust” laws in his famous “Letter from the Birmingham Jail.” He wrote, “One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty.” His use of the word lovingly is interesting here since …show more content…
King defined unjust as a law that “degrades human personality,” according to Herbert Storing in his essay “The Case Against Civil Disobedience.” Citing King’s use of a “cosmic guide” in his designation of justice, Storing sought more of a concrete way to determine whether a law could be considered unjust. He was less accepting of using civil disobedience unless the government could be defined as “fundamentally just” or strong. Anarchy could result per Storing if the government is not accepting of such behavior. Storing’s point: An unjust law does not mean the government is lousy. It means certain laws that a good government has passed may be lousy, especially if they are discriminatory. Those can be changed without having to disrupt or overthrow the government, but it can be a long, arduous task to …show more content…
Henry David Thoreau in his piece “Civil Disobedience” in 1849, made it clear his belief that it is not governments that should be blamed for laws that are unjust. “Government is at best but an expedient,” Thoreau wrote. He noted that government is “only the mode” which people have selected to do their bidding, and that it can be “perverted before the people can act through it.” But Thoreau also admitted in this piece that “most men think differently” from him. His comment that “truth is always in harmony with herself” foreshadows King and Parks in their 20th century descriptions of what is just and right in the struggle to fight for equality for all
Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. clearly stated his beliefs regarding “just and unjust” laws in his famous “Letter from the Birmingham Jail.” He wrote, “One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty.” His use of the word lovingly is interesting here since …show more content…
King defined unjust as a law that “degrades human personality,” according to Herbert Storing in his essay “The Case Against Civil Disobedience.” Citing King’s use of a “cosmic guide” in his designation of justice, Storing sought more of a concrete way to determine whether a law could be considered unjust. He was less accepting of using civil disobedience unless the government could be defined as “fundamentally just” or strong. Anarchy could result per Storing if the government is not accepting of such behavior. Storing’s point: An unjust law does not mean the government is lousy. It means certain laws that a good government has passed may be lousy, especially if they are discriminatory. Those can be changed without having to disrupt or overthrow the government, but it can be a long, arduous task to …show more content…
Henry David Thoreau in his piece “Civil Disobedience” in 1849, made it clear his belief that it is not governments that should be blamed for laws that are unjust. “Government is at best but an expedient,” Thoreau wrote. He noted that government is “only the mode” which people have selected to do their bidding, and that it can be “perverted before the people can act through it.” But Thoreau also admitted in this piece that “most men think differently” from him. His comment that “truth is always in harmony with herself” foreshadows King and Parks in their 20th century descriptions of what is just and right in the struggle to fight for equality for all