Civil Disobedience in an Unjust America

Ahmed Syed Professor Ravy Eng 112-536 04/27/2010 genteel noncompliance in an Unjust the States con furcate to the infamous stress by Henry David Thoreau, gracious noncompliance is the assured and intentional disobeying of a law to enhance a honorable principle or change govern handst policy. Throughout the essay, Thoreau urges the motif for idiosyncratics to put their personal and hearty thought before their allegiance to their brass and its vagabond of policies. Thoreau believed that if a authorities is unsports slicelike, citizens should simply scraps to follow the law and eventually lead off to distance themselves from their regimen in a variety of ways.Although published 105 historic period one of the most turbulent and all-important(a) times in Ameri commode history, the leadership of the polished Rights motion saw the congruence between their plight and the teachings in well-behavedian noncompliance. The quetchs led by legendary activist Martin Lu ther big businessman and the watershed event of genus Rosa Parks infamous muckle ride were just two instances in which courtly disobedience came to fruition in advance(a) day America. The side by side(p) credit by Thoreau l instigate the ground playact for the floor of the actions of many well-bred rights activists, King and set allowd, I think that we should be men first, and subjects after fightdThe lone(prenominal) obligation which I have is the right to do what I think right. ( accomplished Disobedience 475). The aforementioned adduce reveals Thoreaus belief that it was a citizens obligation to withdraw from participating in an unjust and horror brass and gives entertain to future impedance to the American governance as scene during the 1950s and 1960s. Thoreau argues on several issues throughout his essay which include disassociation and reform, however one overarching and pauperizationful argument that is present throughout his essay is that the American go vernment is an unjust government that moldiness be corrected.This belief was overly held by elegant rights activists. Through this look paper, the foundation of Thoreaus ideas and their penetration into modern American history will be explored. The social context surrounding Thoreau and his work includes two prevalent issues slavery and The Mexican-American War. During the 1840s, when Civil Disobedience was published, the North and South were at odds over the issue of slavery. During the same time, many Americans in any case believed it was their manifest flock to claim parts of Mexico as the united States.Based on these two issues, Thoreau argues that the unify States is an offense and unjust government. Thoreau and capital of Minnesota Powers Civil Disobedience as available Opposition both argue that if the government were non corruptive in its objectives and agendum then the idea and practice of civil disobedience would not have been ask nor created. According to Po wers, due the established evil of our government, there be both righteousistic and ideological grounds for justifying civil disobedience, (Powers 37). This is beca using up civil disobedience is a reaction to unjust government.Although many argue against civil disobedience by formulation unjust laws do by a democratic legislative assembly can be changed by a democratic legislature and that the existence of rule-governed channels of change make civil disobedience unnecessary, Thoreau and Powers would argue that the constitution and tell laws be the problem, not the solution. According to Thoreau, governments are often ab role and perverted (Civil Disobedience 249) so that they no capaciouser mull the needs and opinions of the common people.The American government showcased the aforementioned a messe and perversion during Thoreaus time in their partaking in the Mexican-American War. The principal(prenominal) objective of the war was the take domain from Mexico in order to cr eate a larger and more powerful America. According to Thoreau, the American government achieved these objectives through an inequitable armed conflict that was reminiscent of the long arm of European monarchies Thoreau also argued that the American government was unjust in its entire support of slavery.Thoreau believed that citizens of the United States must preventative slavery and the war with Mexico, even if it cost them their existence as a people. In order to truly make his arguments effective, Thoreau utilise ethos and pathos to persuade the people of his era. His use of ethos is evident throughout the entire essay. Thoreau establishes that he is a credible source as he himself has beneficial civil disobedience and has been imprisoned for doing so. Thoreau says, I have compensable no poll-tax for six years.I was put into put behind bars once on this account, for one wickedness and, as I stood considering the walls of solid pitfallI cold not do being struck with the foo lishness of that grounding (Civil Disobedience 249). In the aforementioned quote, not exactly does he build his experience credibility as a sort of martyr for his cause, nevertheless he discredits the opposition, the government. Thoreau engages the auditory sense by way of pathos as he speaks on such an worked up level nearly pressing issues that close every American had an opinion on, the war and slavery (Civil Disobedience 243. Thoreaus use of ethos and pathos was so successful and win over that that it resonated with Americans over 100 years later. Thoreaus teachings helped to form and energize the American civil rights movement. His ideas and teachings were applied to sit-ins at lunch counters, the immunity ride to Mississippi, peaceful protests in Georgia, and the bus boycott in Montgomery, Alabama. All of these defining moments were the outcome of Thoreaus insistence that evil must be resisted and that no moral man can patiently adjust to wickedness (Thoreau 244).T horeau also uses sensory imagery to impel and reach his reference in the following quote If the injustice has a spring, or a pulley, or a rope, or a crank, exclusively for itself, then mayhap you may consider whether the remedy will not be worse than the evilLet your life be a counter friction to stop the elevator car (Civil Disobedience 248). This quote applies Thoreaus pretty abstract theories and ideas about evil and injustice to tangible and common objects, allowing all members of his audience to understand the major arguments of his essay.The use of the concrete words machine, spring, pulley, rope, and crank allow Thoreaus audience to take what he is saying and apply it to common processes and mages that they understand because they are parts of their common and everyday lives. editorialist Bob Herbert, of the New York Times, recently wrote an bind about Martin Luther Kings opposition to the Vietnam War, which can be compared with Thoreaus thoughts on the Mexican-America n War. Herbert cited King as saying the United States Government, in regards to their war efforts was, Corrupt, inept, and without popular support, (Herbert 2010).Herbert went on to further to say, Dr. King spoke about the damage the Vietnam War was doing to Americas war on poverty, and the way it was undermining another(prenominal) important domestic initiatives. What he cherished from the U. S. was not warfare overseas but a renewed commitment to scotch and social justice at infrastructure. As he put it A state that continues year after year to go more money on military defense than on programs of social see is approaching spiritual death, (Herbert 2010). Not only did King agree with Thoreau on the social, piritual, and moral wrongs of war, but he also practiced civil disobedience and was sent to shut up just as Thoreau was. In April of 1963, King was imprisoned in Birmingham, Alabama for his community and leadership of the Birmingham campaign, a planned non-violent prot est conducted by the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights and Kings Southern Christian lead Conference against racial segregation (King). patch imprisoned, King wrote a Letter from a Birmingham Jail, which is equivalent to Thoreaus Civil Disobedience in that he demonstrated that he was in Birmingham in the first space because injustice resided there. at heart the letter he also stated the sole mind for his gyves was for protesting those injustices. Letter from a Birmingham Jail was the spreadeagle of Kings views on civil disobedience. As the primary leader the Civil Rights Movement, King was known for his views on the repute of civil disobedience as a way to achieve political concern and change, homogeneous to Thoreau. Specifically, King studied and apply methods of Thoreaus civil disobedience to beset and change segregation laws.Kings thoughts on civil disobedience raised similar theoretical questions to Thoreaus about the kinship between an individual, their gov ernment, and ones moral and political duties in upholding their personal social contract with the US government (Melendez). Within the letter, King utilizes the same ethos and pathos that Thoreau used 100 years earlier. King builds his credibility and rapport by explaining himself as a reliable, competent, activist who has the utmost respect for his audiences ideas and values. This can be seen as he writes, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here. entirely as the prophets of the eighth century B. C. go forth their villages and carried their thus saith the Lord far beyond the boundaries of their home towns, and just as the Apostle Paul left his village of Tarsus and carried the gospel singing of saviour Christ to the far corners of the Greco-Roman world, so am I compelled to carry the gospel of freedom beyond my own home town. Like Paul, I must ever respond to the Macedonian call for aid (Letter from a Birmingham Jail 207). In conclusion, epoch Thoreau and his disciple Mar tin Luther King Jr. ncourage the need for individuals to correctly and justly prioritize their individual conscious and the laws of their government, they essentially argue that the reason for the institution of civil disobedience is because the American government is and will always be an unjust government. Thoreau believes this is true not only because of their involvement in the Mexican-American War and their trustworthy support of slavery, but because the American governments actions are derived from the needs, opinions, and desires of a half-size group of citizens who fail to represent the majority.