Civil Disobedience In Dr. Martin Luther King's Letter From Birmingham Jail

In many recent occurrences, American citizens have demonstrated their ignorance towards the definition of civil disobedience by rioting and looting. In order to protest issues in an effective manner, the definition of civil disobedience must be known. Many high ranking historical and modern day figures tend to agree that civil disobedience must have a just cause, it must be an action that disrupts the status quo in some way, and finally, the civil disobedience must be proportional to the impact of the injustice on the rights and the lives of American citizens. In order for “Civil Disobedience” not to devolve into aimless complaining, the civil disobedience must develop out of an injustice perpetrated on a person, a group of people, or a society. In Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” he describes an injustice perpetrated against the African Americans of Birmingham. “There can be no gainsaying of the fact that racial injustice engulfs this community… Its ugly record of police brutality is known in every section of this country Its unjust treatment of Negroes in the courts is a notorious reality.” (Source 2) …show more content…
It raises awareness and sparks progress for important issues when used in a responsible, proportional manner. However, It is important to be an upstander when it comes to defending human rights. If the rights of one group is infringed upon, that lays the groundwork for rights to be stolen from all members of society. Once human rights violations begin and are accepted by people, an unstoppable ball is that will inevitably roll over every person in a community is set into motion. Civil disobedience is an extremely effective method of insuring that this ball remains stationary and the infringement of rights is not simply