Civil Disobedience

   

                                                             Civil Disobedience

      Human history began with an act of disobedience, and it is not unlikely that it will be terminated by an act of obedience. Many of the influential people in history felt passionate about what they believe. These passion caused them to rebel against a government or authority. Many times they felt so strongly about what the believed and how they were being treated was so wrong that they became disobedient. The concept of civil disobedience would appear to be an ineffective weapon against political injustice. History however has proven to repeatedly be one of the most powerful weapons of the people. Martin Luther King Jr. looked at the way African Americans were treated in the United States and saw an inequality. By refusing to pay his taxes and subsequently being imprisoned for a night Henry David Thoreau demonstrated his intolerance for the American government. Under British rule, India remained oppressed until Gandhi, with his doctrine of non violence lead his country to freedom.
      Martin Luther King Jr. had faith in his beliefs of equality, and that all people regardless of race should be free and governed under the same laws. Martin Luther King Jr. stated "cowardice asks the question, is it safe? Expediency asks the question, is it politic? But conscience asks the question, is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is not safe nor politics because conscience tells one it is right. " Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a fifty paragraph letter about the timeliness and wisdom in such action of disobedience.
     Tensions between the British government and Indians caused much anger and devastation to Indian societies. Indians throughout the county were infuriated by the authority Britain had gained over the years. Gandhi was an important character for his country revolution. He is also known as Mahatma which means “The Great Soul."Gandhi, addressed the power through nonviolent protests. He believed that the Indians shouldn't forget their traditions and culture, no matter how much the western world pushed to change them. Gandhi was able to give his country equality, freedom, and a philosophy that would influence his country political and moral decisions for decades.
     Henry D. Thoreau was a pioneer of modern civil disobedience when he refused to pay a poll tax because he believed that the money would be used to fund the Mexican war. As a result he was arrested and spent a night in jail. He was released when a relative paid his tax. His night in jail resulted in a literary work called Resistance to a Civil Government. He wrote an essay on civil disobedience saying that people make the law and have a right to disobey unjust laws, or to try and get those laws changed.
       Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Thoreau believed that one should act out against an unjust law by means of peaceful protest. If one is going to openly express his ideas of disagreeing with an unjust law, he must be willing to accept the consequences. Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Thoreau demonstrated this acceptance of consequences by going to jail without repercussion. This shows that they truly believed in the eradication of such a law that forces them to do something that they do not want to do. Martin Luther King Jr. wanted was arrested for gathering with others to protest peacefully, which the police claimed was unlawful.
      Martin Luther King Jr. took a race of people, taught them the value of their voice and they earned the right to vote. Henry Thoreau presented his doctrine that no man should cooperate with laws that are unjust, but must be willing to accept the punishment society sets for breaking those laws. Hundreds of years later people are still inspired by his words. Gandhi lead an entire country to its freedom using his morals and faith to guide him, proving that one man can make a difference. Civil disobedience is the single tool that any person can use to fight for what they want and what they believe on. All three of these men participated in acts of civil disobedience but each in his own way and for different reasons.
      I believe that civil disobedience is justified as a method of trying to change the law. I think that civil disobedience is an expression of one's viewpoints. If someone is willing to break a law for what they believe in, more power to them! Civil disobedience is defined as, "the refusal to obey the demands or commands of a government or occupying power,without resorting to violence or active measures of opposition." Its usual purpose is to force concessions from the government or occupying power. Civil disobedience has been a major tactic and philosophy of nationalist movements in Africa and India, in the civil rights movement of U.S. blacks, and of labor and anti-war movements in many countries. After researching this topic and formulating my own opinions I have learned a great deal about my morals and myself. It simply shocks me when I think of the accomplishments of people like King, Gandhi, and Thoreau.