Thoreau, Gandhi, And Martin Luther King Jr.

Throughout history there have been laws passed or acts that some would disagree with because of the unethical and morally wrong values they held. Only the brave and strong would think to stand up for what they believe to be correct in a peaceful but effective manner ; figures like Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. have all contributed to the idea of civil disobedience. Inspiring figures like these men have indeed left a positive mark on societies to stand up for what they believe is the right thing no matter the consequences. Henry David Thoreau was raised in a home where slavery was not looked upon as morally right thus making him an anti-slavery member. With influence from his mother, a member of the
Like Thoreau, Gandhi was ,“...heavily influenced by the Hinduism and Jainism of his devoutly religious mother [who believed in] ... non-violence, vegetarianism, fasting for purification, and respect for all religions.” In 1888, Gandhi was sent to South Africa where he, “… became an outspoken critic of South Africa’s discrimination policies.” There he was arrested and imprisoned for not cooperating with laws he thought were unjust. While serving his time in jail, he came upon Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” essay and took a form of satyagraha, or devotion to truth by non-violently refusing to act in any form of injustice. In returning to India 20 years later, Gandhi was a hero and led peaceful strikes and movements with the help of fellow Indians. For example, after World War I he believed that Britain would grant India their freedom but as it turns out they did not. He was not satisfied at this and held peaceful protests of civil disobedience; even when the British fought with violence, Gandhi insisted the Indians stay peaceful and not resort to violence. Although some riots did out burst, he called for all the protests to end. Years later India received its
who was a Baptist minister and activist during the Civil Rights Movement. He incorporated strategies and beliefs of both Thoreau and Gandhi in his movements to end segregation. Him and many Negroes took on direct action, sit-ins, marches, etc. On April 16, 1963 in his letter from Birmingham Jail he stated that, “ Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue.” This shows how devoted he was to reaching his goal of ending segregation and how he inspired others to protest with him for their human rights through peaceful protesting. Although the Civil Rights Movement did not end until 1968, King did lead many peaceful protests to contribute in getting all the Negroes their human rights and