Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience: A Nonviolent Mindset

A Nonviolent Mindset King was influenced by the works of Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau. He studied his work while at Morehouse, and was impressed with his concept of civil disobedience (McElrath & Andrews, 2007). King was intrigued by the possibilities of Thoreau’s method. Thoreau stated that it was better to “break the law than to participate in the injustice toward another person” (McElrath & Andrews, 2007).
“I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good. No other person has been more eloquent and passionate in getting this idea across than Henry David Thoreau. As a result, of his writings and personal witness, we are the heirs of a legacy of creative protest” (McElrath & Andrews, 2007).
Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience,” was one of King’s focus points which led him to believe in disobeying unjust laws. King felt unjust laws could be described as ones that were
He was still juggling the ideas of teaching at the university level or taking up a role within the ministry. He ultimately decided to find a job as a pastor in a Baptist Church setting. He eventually found “home” with the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. In January 1954, King gave a trial sermon to the congregation, and after the service was regarded highly, King became the highest paid black minister in Alabama (Schraff, 2005). King made various changes within the church. He moved for power to be relinquished from pastor to congregation, he created social and political action committees, and promoted membership to the NAACP (McElrath & Andrews, 2007). He loved his involvement with the church and community. During this time, King was also a member of the executive committee of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People