Thoreau Vs. Martin Luther King Jr.
In the great span of human history there have been the few to rise up against the common ideals and bring forth innovative creations that changed the course of humanity. They don’t have to be professionals, highly educated, or from wealthy, noble families. They need only the drive to fulfill a purpose, prove a point, and change lives. Henry David Thoreau, a well-noted polymath of the 1800s, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a pivotal African-American activist, spoke about the necessity for change in their time in influential ways. In Thoreau’s essay, “Resistance to Civil Government,” he responds to the Mexican-American War and slavery. Believing that the government is futile, he argues that those working for the government are machines following
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The “bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds,’" he proposes, is referring to the Declaration of Independence, being as blacks were not near as free as this document guaranteed. His speech was a demand for the treatment his people deserved and is one that is still honored today for its bravery and impact. In the search of justice and change, both Thoreau and King used their powerful words to create a spark to light the movement for a better nation. Thoreau sought to make men think for themselves and not blindly follow a government’s rule just because they deem it correct. King addressed the government as well, but to help gain his own freedom and that of millions of blacks around the country that still, years after Thoreau’s time, had not been freed physically or emotionally from the chains of the white man. Thoreau and King were two of many to create a platform of discussion for each of their causes. They inspired others to rise up against the norm, and what everyone was assuming was right. Among humans, there might be a majority that believes what they are living through might be wrong, but might not have the courage to speak up about it. However, it takes people such as Thoreau and King to voice their opinions and make people think it is important to want a
The “bad check, a check which has come back marked ‘insufficient funds,’" he proposes, is referring to the Declaration of Independence, being as blacks were not near as free as this document guaranteed. His speech was a demand for the treatment his people deserved and is one that is still honored today for its bravery and impact. In the search of justice and change, both Thoreau and King used their powerful words to create a spark to light the movement for a better nation. Thoreau sought to make men think for themselves and not blindly follow a government’s rule just because they deem it correct. King addressed the government as well, but to help gain his own freedom and that of millions of blacks around the country that still, years after Thoreau’s time, had not been freed physically or emotionally from the chains of the white man. Thoreau and King were two of many to create a platform of discussion for each of their causes. They inspired others to rise up against the norm, and what everyone was assuming was right. Among humans, there might be a majority that believes what they are living through might be wrong, but might not have the courage to speak up about it. However, it takes people such as Thoreau and King to voice their opinions and make people think it is important to want a