РефератыИностранный языкKiKings Rebellion Essay Research Paper

Kings Rebellion Essay Research Paper

King`s Rebellion Essay, Research Paper


"…A little rebellion now and then is a good thing…It is a medicine


necessary for the sound health of government." Thomas Jefferson Thoreau, a


transcendentalist from the mid 19th century and Martin Luther King Jr., the


Civil Rights movement leader of a century later both believed the necessity of


medicine for government. Although they showed disagreement of opinion on issues


regarding voting, both writers agreed on the necessity to reform the government


and the means of accomplishing it. In King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail and


Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience, both agreed on injustice of majority to rule over


minority, both resisted the government passively, and both wanted a better


government immediately. The majority is not necessarily right, but they have


always been the ones in power because they are the strongest and the most


influential. Therefore, all the laws are written by the majority, almost all are


in favor of the majority, and all are enforced by the majority. According to


King, a law drafted by the majority is only just when the minority are willing


to follow it. He wrote "An unjust law is a code that a numerical or power


majority group compels a minority group to obey but does not make binding on


itself" (2:475). In other words, if a law denies the right of the minority


or is inflicted upon the minority by force, then it is not a just law. Similar


opinions are shared by Thoreau, when he writes "But a government in which


the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice…"(1:1425). Both


agreed that if a law is unjust, it is the duty of the opposition to break the


law, and do what they believe to be right. Once a law is broken, the person must


be willing to accept the consequences, which may be the penalty of imprisonment.


Although laws may be unjust, but it must be respected regardless. King fears


that anarchy will result if laws are not respected; Thoreau describes that


rebellion will be the consequence if laws are not given respect. Consequently,


both chooses to passively resist the laws they believed that are against their


morals, and are prepared to accept imprisonment . The exercise of passive


resistance is the basis of the title of T

horeau’s work, and King presents


several examples of "civil disobedience" in his letter, including the


Boston Tea Party. King not only exercises passive resistance, he also provides


the procedure to be followed for any nonviolent campaign. They are: collection


of the facts to determine whether injustice exist; negotiation;


self-purification; and direct action (2:471). He points out that he has gone


through all the steps, and direct action is what brought him to the Birmingham


Jail. Recognition of injustice and passive resistance described by both authors


is to point out the need of government reformation. Thoreau calls for a better


government, immediately, and points out that the fastest way to improve


government is to "let every man make know what kind of government would


command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it"


(1:1425). King does not directly states the need to reform government, but


instead, he states the need to reform the existing social structure, which goes


hand in hand with governmental progress. He advocates social equality and racial


justice, believing "Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be


considered an outsider anywhere within its bounds" (2:471), and passively


fighting against unjust laws forced upon the minority. Even though Thoreau


agreed with King on the issues, he also made contradictory statements directly


against what he supported. He wrote "If the injustice is part of the


necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go…"


stating that if injustice was inevitable and helped to improve government, then


it was justified. Opposed to his passive resistance, he also justified bloodshed


as he stated "But even suppose blood should flow. Is there not a sort of


blood shed when the conscience is wounded?" (1:1432). As for improvements


to government, he believed "That government is best which governs not at


all" (1:1425). Thoreau’s writing is vague, and mostly an appeal to the


intellect, which sharply contrasted with the writing of King, an appeal to the


emotion of the readers. Although both writing made similar points, they are also


a sharp contrast of the other and undoubtedly very unique.

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