Thoreau's Argument For Civil Disobedience

In the modern age of America, there are many people who have read about and abided by the idea of civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is a philosophy discussed by Henry Thoreau that states if a law is unjust, one must stop obeying the government to force change, which was also an ideology utilized by Martin Luther King Jr. People in America continue to use the idea of civil disobedience today which shows that the concept has survived the test of time. In American society today, civil disobedience is used and justified. American citizens are raised to believe that the government is theirs and when the government does not do justice, it is expected that the people will change it. Some examples of civil disobedience since Martin Luther King …show more content…
The idea of an argument for civil disobedience was discussed by Henry Thoreau. Thoreau’s idea encourages improvement of the government by its citizens through disobedience to laws that keep the nation working. In the essay, Thoreau continuously advised for the improvement of government and also the people in society. He believed that the government should reflect the will of the individual. Thoreau believed that civil disobedience as a form of protest against the government is necessary, but only for specific reasons. Thoreau stated many reasons why one should not conform to the government, such as “But when the friction comes to have its machine, and oppression and robbery are organized, I say, let us not have such a machine any longer” (Thoreau 3). Thoreau believed that if the government has become unjust, by being civilly disobedient, the forward movement of the government will be stopped. The metaphor in the quote establishes that friction represents the government at work, such as laws passed and enforced. If the friction were to become unnecessary, harm the society, and benefit the …show more content…
King is known as the leader of a civil rights movement in America throughout the late 1950’s and 1960’s. King led this movement through the preaching of nonviolent demonstration and civil disobedience. In the years of protesting, King spent many days in jail because of corrupt police officers, acting as the face of government. One of his stays in jail was in Birmingham, where he had protested racial and economic inequality found there. While in the Birmingham jail, King found himself arrested for civil disobedience demonstrations. During King’s time in jail, he compiled an essay that stated many reasons why he did what he did. In the essay, King also discussed the tactics and purpose of becoming a nonconformist to unjust laws present in Birmingham. King expressed many ways one can become disobedient to the government in order to bring change to immoral laws. King believed that one should be allowed to “….march; let him make prayer pilgrimages to the city hall; let him go on freedom rides -and try to understand why he must do so. If his repressed emotions are not released in nonviolent ways, they will seek expression through violence” (King 7). One who becomes disobedient can rightfully disobey a law by marching in the streets or taking freedom rides. King believed that actions, such as marching, is an act of disobedience that will slowly bring change to the