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Comparing Civil Disobedience And Letter From Birmingham Jail

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Acting civil, but disobedient, is a way to non-violently protest things you believe to be unfair. Henry David Thoreau wrote an essay called “Civil Disobedience” which has been used by many such as Martin Luther King Jr. to help fight injustice. King was a pastor and renowned speaker who headed the Civil Rights movement. Dr. King's “Letter from Birmingham Jail” was based on concepts he read in Thoreau's “Civil Disobedience”. While both writers discuss ways to be civil yet disobedient, they convince the readers in opposite ways. Thoreau is quick to share his beliefs and his personal hate towards the government. Because of this strong hatred, Thoreau writes in a more aggressive manner. To contrast this, Dr.King is religious and focuses on what’s best for the group. These men have the same views but view them in different ways. Thoreau is more focused on individual rights while King is concerned more with raising awareness and making it better for the whole group. …show more content…

He believed human law and the government to be lower-ranking. Thoreau believed that if the two were at odds, the individual should follow their conscience even if that means disregarding human law. In his letter, King defines what he believes to be a just law versus an unjust law. King believed a just law was man made and agreed with moral law (the law of God). King went on to say that an unjust law was any law that went against the law of God. King even quoted St. Aquina in saying, “ An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal and natural law.” In more basic terms, King believed laws were unjust if they degrade human personality or legalize difference, while just laws and the laws he advocated for promote legalizing

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