Essay On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience
The expectation that every citizens follow the laws and beliefs their government espoused would be a dictatorship. Even within a dictatorship, disobedience is prevalent although in more violent ways. In our democracy however, the voices of the governed are absolute, and when those voices are ignored, it is up the citizens to pursue change. Violence should never be the path taken towards change, but the deliberate non-violent violation of the law has proven to be an effective way of issuing change of unjust laws or government actions. If a democratic government is to work and remain strong, citizens not only have a duty to participate and exercise their right but should also challenge and question the decisions of government when they unduly
…show more content…
history, there have been countless instances where people enact civil disobedience to portray their displeasure in the government or unjust laws. These acts of civil disobedience have played a significant role in many of the important social reforms that we appreciate today. As Henry David Thoreau set forth in his 1849 treatise, On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, “under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison”(Henry David Thoreau, On the Duty of Civil Disobedience). His words espoused the ideology that when a person’s conscience and the laws clash, that person must follow his or her conscience. Perhaps the most notable person and act in history regarding civil disobedience is Martin Luther King Jr. and his fight toward equal rights. In his nobel peace prize lecture, “The Quest for Peace and Justice,” King said, “non-violence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals” (Martin Luther King Jr., “The Quest for Peace and Justice”). King never endorsed violence, but was a strong believer in non-violent resistance to draw attention to racial injustice. The Civil Rights Movement led by King and others, included sit-ins and illegal marches which led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Acts of
history, there have been countless instances where people enact civil disobedience to portray their displeasure in the government or unjust laws. These acts of civil disobedience have played a significant role in many of the important social reforms that we appreciate today. As Henry David Thoreau set forth in his 1849 treatise, On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, “under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison”(Henry David Thoreau, On the Duty of Civil Disobedience). His words espoused the ideology that when a person’s conscience and the laws clash, that person must follow his or her conscience. Perhaps the most notable person and act in history regarding civil disobedience is Martin Luther King Jr. and his fight toward equal rights. In his nobel peace prize lecture, “The Quest for Peace and Justice,” King said, “non-violence is a powerful and just weapon, which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it. It is a sword that heals” (Martin Luther King Jr., “The Quest for Peace and Justice”). King never endorsed violence, but was a strong believer in non-violent resistance to draw attention to racial injustice. The Civil Rights Movement led by King and others, included sit-ins and illegal marches which led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Acts of