Civil Disobedience In Martin Luther King Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, Rosa Parks

Civil Disobedience is defined as refusal to obey civil laws or decrees, which usually takes the form of direct action (Grolier’s Encyclopedia Online 2). Thoreau wrote that people practicing civil disobedience, break a law because they consider the law unjust. People want to call attention to its injustice. Thoreau voiced civil disobedience as, “An expression of the individual’s liberty to create change” (Thoreau 530). Years later Martin Luther King Jr. took the same idea of direct action to protest the injustices brought upon black Americans in the United States. One major example was the Birmingham bus boycott. Blacks where treated unjust and often had to give up their seats to whites, and had to listen to racial slurs made by the bus driver. King like Thoreau, did not take a violent approach, he often used sit-ins and rallies to unite the black community (Encarta

The idea of creating protest based on one's belief has been around for thousands of years and has continued to be spread throughout the world ever since Henry Thoreau published his essay “Civil Disobedience” back in 1849. Civil right leaders including Martin Luther King and Gandhi were inspired to revolt against the government based on their evaluation of the well known essay written by Thoreau. The interpretation of “Civil Disobedience” was acted out through peaceful protest towards the government. Although the objective was to create peaceful protests towards the government, occasionally the move would initiate violent acts. Thoreau did not believe in these violent acts because he thought that if he was going to be punished for something that he believed in, then he would rather just be thrown in jail considering his home life was worse than what prison life would be. Non violent acts were also encouraged by Gandhi and King, a trend that they all followed along with by accepting any penalties towards them while protesting. This trend has followed over to our present day movements around the world including protest towards military funerals, as people are going to continue to protest these funerals even though new restrictions have been put into place in order to try and stop the rioters. Civil disobedience has led to many modern protest including the protest against military funerals, which is a great example of the power of civil disobedience.

Would you have ever thought that disobeying against the law would make the world a better place? Back in the 1920’s and early 1960’s, African Americans had to go to separate schools then that of white people. Blacks had separate water fountains, seats on the bus, and were treated as second class citizens. Those who weren’t white suffered the consequences of a matter they couldn’t control; however, they fought back with civil disobedience. Civil disobedience is fighting against the laws in a respectful and peaceful manner (Suber). This form of action was used to speak up for a community who was suffering and only wanted to live as everyone else. Civil disobedience is a protest that says “we only want peace”.

“If you make laws to keep us suppressed in a wrongful manner and without taking us into confidence, these laws will merely adorn the statue books. We will never obey them”(1). Mohandas Gandhi expressed this in his writing “On Nonviolent Resistance”. “Civil disobedience” is when people use their voice by protesting, non-violently, to stick up against unjust laws and unjust movements. The truths and values are proven and brought to attention in the writings of Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, and Henry David Thoreau. Civil disobedience can be the solution to unjust laws and violence around the world.

From Cherokee Indians refusing to abandon their homes in 1838 to the Sit-ins of the civil rIghts movement in the early 1960s, people have been using acts of civil disobedience to stand against injustice they saw in their communities. Although there are many examples of people abusing this benefit and causing more grief and shame than progress, many have used it to their advantage to bring about positive change for the greater good of society, therefore acts of civil disobedience can positively impact a free society if they remain peaceful, respectful, and justified.

Injustice,wrongdoings, and/ or inequality are the root of all acts of civil disobedience. From Muhammad Ali to Edward Snowden to Rosa Parks each of their actions of civil disobedience caused changed and self reflection. An excerpt from form Muhammad Ali’s Anti War Stand Was Civil Disobedience, Not Draft Dodging Ali said “Why should me and other so-called ‘negroes’ …. drop bombs and bullets on other innocent brown people….” A shocking statement that made many reflect on the drastic war actions. Rosa Parks refusal to move as civil disobedience in its finest. The actions were unjustifiable by the bus driver and the new passenger, for Rosa had every right to her seat. Her stand alone started a nationwide bus boycott and furthered the civil rights movement. Edward Snowden also shock America with his disobedient action. When

Throughout history Civil Disobedience has had nothing but positive impacts for our nation. The people are trying to improve the government the only way they know how. In 1847 Henry David Thoreau, a philosopher, wrote in his essay on civil disobedience “I ask, for not at once no government, but at once a better government.” A great example for a leap for rights would be the Montgomery Bus Boycott. On December 5th of 1955, African Americans took a vow not to take the bus as a silent and peaceful protest for segregation seating, this lasted 381 days. Finally, the U.S Supreme Court integrated their bus system. The boycott was only the start of the American Civil Rights Movement. Segregation was a big problem that we don't see much these days because people

During his confinement in Birmingham city jail, Martin Luther King Jr., a man of patience and virtue, wrote, “…we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive” (Ali-Dinar). Throughout his life, King led peaceful protests to further equality and justice in the African American community; many were opposed with police brutality and fierce discrimination. Had it not been for the media, which broadcasted to Americans nationwide, the eyes of the public and the President would have remained shut to the continuing unequal treatment of the law and violent oppression that many African Americans faced. Despite attempts to halt their movement, the protesters

To this day there are people fighting for the rights of people of colour in groups such as Black Lives Matter and for the rights people in the LGBT+ community. Some people who are advocates for these things can and do use civil disobedience as a way to raise awareness and protest. Acts of civil disobedience can attract much more attention than a regular protest, which can help shed light on these important issues. Misogyny, racism, xenophobia and homophobia are all still very real issues in today's society, and civil disobedience (if used properly) can be as powerful of a weapon now as it was fifty years ago to fight for the equality of all

Civil disobedience is the refusal to conform to a society or a set of laws. Civil disobedience has come a long way from its beginning. It has been developing and will continue for generations to come, as it is considered a duty of a person. The opinions and beliefs of civil disobedience cultured in our society by both Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. are still present in our modern-day society; nevertheless, these opinions and beliefs still need to be expanded in order to keep up with the fast-growing population.

Typically, when civil disobedience comes up, we look to the long line of heroes who put their lives on the line to help define what civil disobedience meant and how it could be successfully used in order to effect change. Gandhi, Susan B. Anthony, M.L. King and Mandela, are among the many men and women who fought great injustices in the past by taking a stand and calling attention to an unjust law. They used civil disobedience against the established order of things as a tool to not only

Not only were many laws changed and created, but even more were broken in an attempt to better our once unjust society. Martin Luther King Jr., arguably the most influential leader of this movement, was an avid supporter of civil disobedience during this era. He participated in countless sit-ins and protests, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1956, in which he and almost one hundred other activists were arrested for peacefully protesting discrimination in the Montgomery public transit system. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, written in 1963 after he was arrested for partaking in a nonviolent protest, King offers explanation as to why he practices civil disobedience and what he hopes to achieve in doing so. In this letter, King admits, “In no sense do I advocate evading or defying the law…that would lead to anarchy. One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty”. However, he also stated that in this fight, it is necessary to “[stand] up for what is best in the American…thereby bringing our nation back to those great wells of democracy which were dug deep by the founding fathers in their formulation of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence”. In his words, civil disobedience is more than ignorance of law; it is just one of the necessary measures that must be taken to restore equality in a

From a young age we learn to consume goods. We learn all our shopping habits from our parents as they learn it from their parents and so on. What we never come to realize is that we have been setup to consume. It is the small marketing strategies that we bypasses and triggers our brain to buy. We are all up for a good bargain yet we don't realize how effective these skill affect our life that trick us into buying their merchandise. How do they do this? What Strategies do they use. Through my observations and textual evidence we will notice marketing strategies Ross uses for customers to consume.

A thought, similar to a tree, starts out as an idea. It’s planted in the mind of an individual and over time it grows, allowing it to spread its roots to those who surround it. Although, in truth a tree doesn’t alter anyone’s outlook on life, but the idea of something so small growing into something big is comparable to an idea becoming a thought. In George Orwell’s Animal Farm, the idea that animals no longer needing to rely on humans and becoming their own society, becomes more than an idea. As the events in the novel transpire, the overall objective becomes a way of life. I believe that a society can easily be manipulated with ideas by those who seek power.

A bad habit is a negative behavior pattern. Many people all over the world have at least one bad habit that they are not able break. For some people, it can be more than just one bad habit. These bad habits can range from constantly biting nails to frequently spending money on unnecessary things. One thing that all these various bad habits have in common is that they are all very hard to break. While some bad habits might not be as harmful to a person’s health as others’, it still needs to be broken. If these habits did not need to be broken, then they would not be called a bad habit. A bad habit that definitely needs to be broken is binge drinking. Binge drinking is the consumption of lots of alcohol in short space of time or drinking to get drunk. Some causes of binge drinking are peer pressure, the belief that it will reduce stress, or curiosity; simply just wanting to feel what it would be like to be drunk. A man having five or more drinks or a woman having four or more drinks of alcohol in a short period of time is considered binge drinking in the United States. The amount of alcohol consumed in a short space of time all depends on the beverage. Generally one drink is considered to be 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of spirits. While consuming moderate amounts of alcohol is approved by many people, such as doctors, binge drinking can be harmful to a person’s physical, mental and possibly financial health. Especially when a person has three or more