Similarities Between King Jr And David Thoreau

“If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.” This quote by Thomas Jefferson shows that even though there are risks, stand up for what is right and just. The law is not always the right thing and people who disagree are considered, Civilly disobedient. Civil disobedience is standing up for what is right even if it’s the law. Two men who took a stand for their right is Martin Luther King Jr. and David Thoreau. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham City Jail” is about MLK Jr.’s experience with civil disobedience. MLK Jr. himself, committed an act of civil disobedience and stood up for what was right. As did David Thoreau in “From Civil Disobedience”. These men knew the law and the consequences that would follow, but they understood what would benefit from their act of disobedience.
Anyone can be disobedient to the law, just like MLK Jr. and David Thoreau, but understanding and dealing with the consequences goes hand in hand. If
Breaking the law and saying it was something that a person doesn’t agree with is not appropriate. Civil disobedience is breaking the law, because it is unjust. The law is wrong and the only way to change it would be to take a stand and change it. That is only when being civilly disobedient is acceptable. “America is not a perfectly just society, yet not all of our unjust laws invite or compel a response of civil disobedience” (“More on What…”). There should always be reasoning behind being disobedient to the law. “In sum, civil disobedience can be an effective and necessary tool for changing unjust laws that require direct obedience. It tends to be far less useful for opposing unjust laws that do not require direct obedience. And it is utterly useless as a tool for promoting injustice” (“More on What…”). Many people will take a stand for what they believe in and if the law is unjust, than it’s always acceptable to do