Why Do Unjust Laws Exist

The famous civil rights activist, Martin Luther King, Jr., once said, “true peace is not merely the absence of tension; it is the presence of justice.” Indeed, people have been fighting for justice for over centuries because they want peace. Citizens often question the government on why their opinions have not been accurately represented or why they have to act against their will, and there is only one answer to these questions, according to Henry David Thoreau, “people have chosen [the government] to execute their will” (Jacobus 305), yet they neglect the fact that the government is often abused and perverted. Unjust laws exist because of an inefficient and corrupted government. Historical events, as well as recent events, lead to the belief
In 1960, African Americans suffered and struggled for racial equality. Many states enacted a series of racial segregation laws called the Jim Crow laws. These laws created a racial caste system which separated society into two: the black and the white. There were many restrictions imposed on the African American race. For examples, the black and white could not ride on the same transportations, eat in the same restaurants, attend the same schools, or drink from the same water fountains. The tensions resulted from the Jim Crow laws eventually culminated in the Civil Rights Movement, in which many of the African Americans and the whites joined together to protest these unjust laws and to promote equal rights for all blacks. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the most well known advocates for nonviolent social change and the leader of the Civil Rights Movement. For years, the Civil Rights Movement leader wrote speeches and organized nonviolent protests and mass public meetings to draw attention to racial discrimination, as well as to demand civil rights laws to protect the rights and lives of African-Americans. The powerful and effective Civil Rights Movement led to Congress’s enactment of the Civil Rights Act in 1964, in which the act “prohibited discrimination in public places, provided for the
In September of 2014, thousands of people had occupied busy streets in Central, Causeway Bay, and Mongkok to fight for justice and demand for open nominations of candidates for the chief executive election. Hong Kong was formerly under British rule, but was returned to Chinese rule in 1997 under a framework known as “one country, two systems,” yet “China’s central government in Beijing has rejected such a framework, insisting that all candidates must be approved by a special committee” (Hui 1). Such decision infuriated protesters and citizens of Hong Kong, and many have referred to it as “fake democracy.” Democracy has always been the wish of the people, and according to Thoreau, “the progress from an absolute to a limited monarchy, from a limited monarchy to a democracy, is a progress toward a true respect for the individual” (Jacobus 323). It is not true respect until democracy happens. The people of Hong Kong are not content with the decision of electing the chief executive from the two to three candidates that were pre-selected by Chinese Committee. They feel disrespected because their voices and opinions are heard but ignored. Thousands of people protest on the streets, as well as outside of government buildings in response to the so-called democracy happening in Hong Kong. In addition, the chief executive in Hong Kong started imposing unjust laws that granted police