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Civil Disobedience and Letter From a Birmingham Jail

            Unjust laws and unjust governmental systems are a common theme in Henry David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience and Martin Luther King's Letter From A Birmingham Jail. In Civil Disobedience Thoreau clarifies that following an unjust law is a violation of ones conscience. Also, if a person is faced with an unjust law they should not only disobey it but also strive to somehow change it. In King's Letter From a Birmingham Jail he outlines the reasons for the need of the demonstrations in Birmingham. King notes that civil disobedience is necessary for the case of the city of Birmingham. .
             The most obvious influence on King from Thoreau's writing is King's unwillingness to stand back and watch injustice. Action must be taken and the person must be willing to face the full consequences. King believes, "one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws."(1233) While Thoreau states, " if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law."(1222) This is a direct correlation between these two works. .
             King evolves Thoreau's idea on not waiting until a person maintains a large majority to change a law. Instead of acting immediately King gathers a large quantity of people to put his point across to the city leaders of Birmingham. An onslaught of activism by a large number of people causes the city to stop ignoring the issue of injustice and address it. Thoreau did not believe heavily in using the governmental system to change the laws. However, King knew that this was the only way to make true permanent progress. So King forced the system to see the plight and take actions to correct it. .
             Thoreau's essay was written while two wars raged in America; the Mexican American war and the war of slavery. African Americans were struggling to make their largest leap of freedom in America. Thoreau served a very brief jail sentence for refusing to pay his taxes, which he believed was an injustice.


Essays Related to Civil Disobedience and Letter From a Birmingham Jail

1. Civil Disobedience

In Martin Luther's "Letter from a Birmingham Jail", he talks about how the African-American people were being treated unfairly by an unjust law. ... Although Thoreau and Luther both agree on the act of civil disobedience, there is one author, Louis Waldman, who wrote an article entitled "Civil Rights-Yes: Civil Disobedience-No". ... Throughout Luther's letter I believe that he makes many brilliant points in which to defend his case of civil disobedience. ... King in his letter talks about the reasons for why it had to come down to civil disobedience, Waldman must not have paid to ...

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2. Comparison between Civil Disobedience and A Letter From Birm

Following suit some years later, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote a compelling essay titled, " Letter From Birmingham Jail," covering his feelings towards unjust laws and what we should do concerning them. ... However, Civil Disobedience had more staying power then Letter From Birmingham Jail. ... In Letter From Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King, Jr. ... His voice isn't as forceful as Thoreau's, which is probably why Civil Disobedience had a more long termstaying power than Letter From Birmingham Jail, eventually inspiring the very letter. ... Plus, since it was written in a more for...

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3. Letter From Birmingham Jail and Civil Disobedience

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4. Letter from Birmingham Jail

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5. Letter From Birmingham Jail

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6. Letter From Birmingham Jail

'Letter from Birmingham Jail' Rhetorical Analysis In April of 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr., was jailed in Birmingham, Alabama for his efforts in the civil rights movement. ... From his prison cell, King replied not only to the ministers' letter but also to an educated, white, middle-class audience, by writing his response in the margins of the newspaper and on toilet paper (Albert and Hoffman 141). "I have yet to engage in a direct action campaign that was well timed in the view of those who have not suffered from the disease of segregation," King, wrote in what was later...

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7. letter from a birmingham jail

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8. Civil Disobedience

Martin Luther King Jr., whose main philosophy on civil disobedience revolved around nonviolence, wrote a "Letter From Birmingham Jail" to eight clergymen informing them of the situation in Birmingham, Alabama, in April of 1963. ... Henry Thoreau also used emotional appeal in "Civil Disobedience." ... Martin Luther King Jr. decided to spend his time in jail writing his letter to the clergymen for support. ... He gave the feeling of total seclusion from the world when describing his jail cell. ... Thoreau didn't use the bible to support his thoughts, but he did mention God a few ti...

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9. Justice in A Letter From Birmingham Jail

The intent of this paper is to expand on the themes of justice that resonate throughout the entirety of King's A Letter From Birmingham Jail. ... King's A Letter From Birmingham Jail has become a classic and for good reason. ... In his letter, King also compared his civil disobedience and those of the Negros to the some Biblical characters. ... This is true since A Letter From Birmingham Jail was written on December 10, 1928. ... King's A Letter From Birmingham Jail demonstrated that his faith to his inner justice came from divine law, and his faith and views are universal and t...

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