Abstract This paper examines Martin Luther King, Jr.'s suggestion that Socrates committed acts of civildisobedience. The paper looks at historical evidence in an attempt to clarify this claim and concludes that, strictly speaking, Socrates did not, but that King was still justified in mentioning him.
Abstract This paper discusses issues of racism, social inequality and unjust laws and then presents an argument in favor of Martin Luther King's position on the necessity of civildisobedience. The paper also makes a comparison between King's ideas and actions and those of Socrates.
From the Paper "Philosophers and political activists alike have struggled to determine the conditions under which human beings are morally entitled to disobey the law. Two thinkers, Socrates and the more contemporary Dr Martin Luther King, will be used in advancing a personal belief in the necessity of civil disobedience under certain circumstances It will be argued herein-that whereas Socrates rejected any form of civil disobedience that brought an individual into conflict with the State, Dr Martin Luther King held that there were times when..."
Tags: political science, civildisobedience, Socrates, Martin Luther King
This paper discusses civildisobedience, the active refusal to follow or obey certain laws or demands of a government or ruling power without using physical force or violence.
Abstract This paper explains that, although civildisobedience is ancient, as old as the Hebrew midwives' defiance of Pharaoh, most of its moral and legal theory and form were shaped by Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.. The author points out that some historians are skeptical about civildisobedience and doubt its effectiveness or reasonableness, but others see it as a highly effective strategy in educating individuals and in bringing about a particular and desired change. The paper concludes that, while Thoreau and others argue that individuals are morally justified in disobeying certain laws, the observation is that few people will actually disobey; these leaders view this docility in the majority as the greater threat to democracy than anarchy.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Examples of CivilDisobedience An Analysis of CivilDisobedience Conclusion
From the Paper "Taking after the original example of Henry David Thoreau in secluding himself from the cloak of the law and into the woods in Walden Pond, protesters expressed the same outcry all over the world and in different times. Civil disobedience was used widely in India's nonviolent resistance movements against British colonialism, in South Africa in its fight against apartheid, in civil rights movements in the USA and in Europe and in the resistance movement in Scandinavia against the Nazi occupation. It was also a major strategy adopted by national movements in the former colonies in Africa and Asia before they obtained independence."
Abstract This paper addresses the current need and use for civildisobedience in America. The writer discusses the history of civildisobedience in America and compares it to the current use regarding the war with Iraq. The writer explores several aspects of civildisobedience and how it has changed because of the technological ability currently available.
From the Paper "The use of civil disobedience in America is a traditional as apple pie. From the inception of this nation residents have used civil disobedience to voice their displeasure at government decisions and government actions. The use of civil disobedience is a right that is protected by the United States constitution. At one time civil disobedience was the only want that attention could be brought to an issue that bothered a group of residents. The television was not invented and the newspapers remained sadly local in their distribution. The gathering and participation of large numbers could bring the attention of the government that individual actions could not garner. Civil disobedience has been effective in bringing about the changes that were desired throughout the nation's history. Henry Davidson Thoreau, Martin Luther King and others have encouraged civil disobedience as a method of effecting societal and governmental policy changes."
Abstract This paper examines civildisobedience, defines it as a form of non-violent protest in which concerned citizens deliberately violate a law they consider unjust, and provides examples from American history in which activists have used it to demonstrate the injustice of laws or government policies. The author discusses the advocacy of Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King for civildisobedience, and quotes from King's "Letter from Birmingham Jail" and Thoreau's famous nineteenth century essay on civildisobedience.
Abstract This essay examines the criteria established by American Civil Rights leader, Martin Luther King, for determining when civildisobedience is justified and then uses this criteria to explain why the civildisobedience activities waged on behalf of the Civil Rights movement and the anti-Vietnam War movement were justified.
From the Paper "The tactic of civil disobedience has been used throughout American history as a means of changing social conditions which are unaccaptable on moral grounds, as well as on political grounds in the case of laws which are intrinsically unjust. The American Revolution itself was civil disobedience carried out to its extreme and is defined in the opening words of the Declaration of Independence, which formally defined the right of government as the province of the people and justified the overthrow of the established government if it operated in opposition to the common good."
Abstract This paper looks at Henry David Thoreau beliefs that civildisobedience was justified. The author believes that the struggle for civil rights today also justifies civildisobedience according to the author. Some followers of Thoreau's principles are Martin Luther King Jr. as well as Frederick Douglass.
A comparative analysis of the concept of civildisobedience in Mahatma Gandhi's "The Salt March" with Plato's "Crito" and King's "Letter from the Birmingham Jail".
2,150 words (approx. 8.6 pages), 5 sources, 2002, $ 80.95
Abstract This paper will use the "Salt March" of Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 as an example of civildisobedience to be analyzed with respect to the theoretical models outlined in Plato's Crito and King's "Letter from the Birmingham Jail". It will be argued that, while there exist strong arguments against civildisobedience - most notably that it often leads to violence and civil unrest - often such acts are justified, as was Gandhi's, as a means of last resort.
Abstract This paper discusses how Thoreau's essay influenced other leaders of passive resistance campaigns, especially Gandhi and Martin Luther King. It states that Henry David Thoreau may have originally coined the term, "civildisobedience." The paper asks if anyone has been influenced by his writing since he wrote his essay in 1849. It shows how Martin Luther King, Jr. and India's Gandhi were both highly motivated in their fight for equality by the writings of Thoreau. They used his writings to form their own methods of civil protest and civildisobedience, carrying Thoreau's theories around the world.
From the Paper "Henry David Thoreau may be most known for his lonely stint at Walden Pond, but he also wrote many essays commenting on his times, and the world around him. Thoreau consistently used his own brand of civil disobedience to protest the wrongs he saw around him. One means he used to protest was his refusal to pay a local poll tax. He had not been paying the tax since approximately 1842, in a protest against slavery, and his non-payment caught up with him in 1846, when he spent a night in the local jail. He was prepared to stay longer, but someone, probably a relative, paid the tax, and he was released. His brief stay was quite influential in his work however, and he wrote "Civil Disobedience" partly as a retort about his time in jail."
Abstract This paper examines the use of civildisobedience throughout the history of humanity, as seen in Sophocles? play ?Antigone,? Henry David Thoreau's ?CivilDisobedience? and Martin Luther King Junior's "Letter from Birmingham Jail". The paper describes the common theme of non-violence, even under the threat of death. It illustrates the effects of demonstrating against oppressive rule of government through this method.
From the Paper "Civil disobedience is a common occurrence that can be traced back throughout human history. The long-standing questions that accompany civil disobedience are when is civil disobedience justified, why should you be disobedient, and what actions are morally right during civil disobedience? Sophocles, Henry David Thoreau, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., express their views on this subject matter and propose different answers to these questions by using different rhetorical methods. Sophocles argues two different views of civil disobedience, first the view of Antigone who, is willing to die to obey the laws of the gods, and then the view of Creon, who is the king and made the law of the land the law by which Antigone dies. Thoreau expresses civil disobedience by refusing to pay taxes. Henry David Thoreau argues for the idea of disobeying a government if it does not please the people. Martin Luther King, Jr. makes the better case for civil disobedience through strong rhetorical tactics, organized preparation, and peaceful negotiations."
Abstract This paper explains that, to protest the American government's involvement in the Mexican War of 1846-1848, Henry David Thoreau refused to pay his taxes and was quickly thrown into prison as a result of his nonviolent act of civildisobedience. From prison, he wrote a political and philosophical tract called "CivilDisobedience" in defense of his radical actions. The paper contends that this work condemned the Mexican War as an intentional provocation on the part of the United States.
From the Paper "Not to need a government is the ideal for Thoreau, self-governance and self-respect-and respect of others in an ideal society. At present, in a non idyllic world, government, Thoreau states, is and should only function as an expedient of the people's will not an institution to satisfy its own needs and its leaders needs. Government is nothing in and of itself, without the people that created it and support it, and when it no longer sustains and supports the people and the popular reasons it came into being, it should be dissolved and a new government should come into being. To make this event occur, all individuals should refuse to participate in unjust governments through peaceful noncompliance until the people's collective will be done."
Abstract Henry David Thoreau's "Appeal to CivilDisobedience" has an interesting rhetorical appeal which he uses throughout the essay to achieve a link between himself and his reader core. This paper explains that by using the logic of the times to help his efforts, and by using the three rhetorical appeals - ethos, pathos, and logos - a longing for civildisobedience systematically ruled Thoreau's thought process in a time of racial and ethical tension.
From the Paper "In reference to his ethos, throughout the essay Thoreau establishes his credibility with his persona and tone. Referencing pathos, Thoreau substantiates his written word through interaction with the audience on an emotional level. Finally, in referencing logos, Thoreau has truly perfected the art of logical appeals, by dropping poetic reference in key passages of the essay throughout, and, of course, by using only his, and no one else's thoughts, as a reference to such highly controvercial topics as abolition and slavery."
Abstract Compares Thoreau's notion of civildisobedience with the civil rights movement of the 1960s to gain equal rights for African Americans. Leadership of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and his thinking. Moral reasons for disobeying unjust laws. Peaceful demonstrations and those of activists. Bus boycott & NAACP litigation approach. Sit-ins, Freedom Rides and voter registration efforts of SNCC.
From the Paper "In his original formulation of the idea of civil disobedience Henry David Thoreau argued that when "gross inconsistency is tolerated" by the citizens of a democracy then "under the name of order and civil government, we are all made at last to pay homage to and support our own meanness" (Thoreau). In Thoreau's case he refused to pay taxes on the grounds that the government supported both an imperialist war against Mexico and the ownership of slaves. He held that a taxpayer in a democracy that engages in imperialist aggression and the expansion of slavery becomes, by way of his participation, an imperialist and a slave owner himself--no matter what private opinions he holds and no matter how he voted. To accept the order that allows these things was, in effect, not merely to accede to their existence but to become one with those who behaved in this..."
Abstract The paper examines Martin Luther King's non-violent form of opposition, known as CivilDisobedience in the 1960s, in an attempt to put an end to racial segregation in Southern United States. It discusses the attempts of the likes of Wallace Faird, founder of the Nation of Islam movement, who pressed for a more violent uprising and who preached hatred and intolerance. The paper shows that the nonviolent direct action practiced and promoted by Martin Luther King, Jr. was the best option available to the Civil Rights movement in their quest for justice.
Foramt: Chicago Style
From the Paper "The period of human history in which was conducted the United States Civil Rights movement is oftentimes one of great debate. For the first time, the oppressed people of the South rose up as one to confront the daily challenges of segregation. From the multitude, there arose many great and controversial figures. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a preacher at the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery in 1955. His role, as is widely known, in the United States Civil Rights Movement is perhaps the most pivotal of all Civil Rights leaders at the time. Indeed, his was a message quite different from his opposition. Leaders, like Malcolm X, constantly disagreed with his methods of non-violence."
Tags: 1960, black, boycott, bus, montgomery, parks, power, rosa
Abstract This paper describes the leaderships of two of the greatest political/social leaders of the 20th century, Mahatmas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., and how they both masterfully used civildisobedience to make the world a better place and demonstrate that one person can indeed make a difference.
From the Paper "As to injustice, King alludes that "The answer (for injustice) is found in the fact that there are two types of laws. There are just laws and there are unjust laws"; "Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws. I would agree with Saint Augustine that "An unjust law is no law at all" (Lincoln 157). These statements make complete sense as seen through the eyes of Dr. King, for he believes that any law which is unjust, i.e. a law that discriminates against an individual or a group, must not be obeyed; a person has a "moral responsibility" to disobey such laws for the good of society but only through non-violent disobedience, much like Henry David Thoreau's unwillingness to pay his taxes and spend time in jail and Gandhi's disobedience which sent him to prison several times and placed his life in great jeopardy."
