Henry David Thoreau vs. Martin
Henry David Thoreau vs. Martin Luther KingThere are times throughout the history of the United States when its citizens have felt the need to revolt against the government. The two essays, "Civil Disobedience," by Henry David Thoreau, and "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," by Martin Luther King, Jr., effectively illustrate the authors' opinions of justice. Each author has his main point; Thoreau, in dealing with justice as it relates to government, asks for "not at once no government, but at once a better government. King contends that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Both essays offer a complete argument for justice. Thoreau wrote "Civil Disobedience" in 1849 after spending a night in the Walden town jail for refusing to pay a poll tax that supported the Mexican War. He recommended passive resistance as a form of tension that could lead to reform of unjust laws practiced by the government. He voiced civil disobedience as "An expression of the individual's liberty to create change". Thoreau felt that the government had established order that resisted reform and change. "Action from principle, the perception and the performance of right, changes things and relations; it is essentially revolutionary".
King knows that he was unjustly put into jail. Thoreau didn't rally hundreds and thousands of people together to get reactions. Thoreau is acknowledging that unjust laws exist. King wants to change the laws because they are morally wrong and Thoreau wants to change the law because he personally doesn't like it. We are all tied together in a mutual destiny; we are all in the same boat, what ever affects you affects me. Thoreau believes the best government is one which governs the least. Thoreau wrote how disappointed he was with the government by forcing him to pay a poll tax that supported a war and slavery. King preached about God and the Bible and what is right according to it, Thoreau used the Constitution and politics as his. King is explaining his view of conscience: "I submit that an individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and willingly accepts the penalty by staying in jail to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the very highest respect for the law". A certain passage shows how strong he felt when he said, "Your money is your life, why should I haste to give it my money?". How you deal with them if you do not approve of them is the question. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. I think he figured like the sun rises every morning there will be unjust laws.
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