Civil Disobedience Influence
Civil Disobedience’s Influence on Society
Transcendentalism is a concept that relies on living in simplicity, trusting oneself and having nothing in excess. It is a unique concept that tells you not to use complicated materialistic things, lets you strive for your dreams and tells you not to waste things. Throughout the past many years, Transcendentalism has affected society in many different ways. The concept of Transcendentalism was founded by the philosophers Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson and has had huge influence on society such as the creation of many movies, books and even protests. One of the most significant pieces of work to have influenced society is Civil Disobedience by Thoreau. Civil Disobedience is a transcendental work that talks about disobeying the law using non-violent protesting. It talks about changing the governments’ laws rather than trying to overthrow them and whether we should obey unjust laws and wait for a majority to alter them or just disobey the law. Civil Disobedience’s transcendental influence on these Martin Luther King and Mohandas Gandhi very started non-violent revolutions across the globe by commencing The Civil Rights legitimization of blacks in America and freeing Indians under British rule.
Martin Luther King Jr. played a major part in The Civil Rights legitimization of blacks in America in 1964. Throughout King’s demonstrations he spread the ideas of Thoreau and that of Civil Disobedience. In The Letter from a Birmingham Jail, King writes, “An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law” (Letter from a Birmingham Jail). Ironically while sitting in Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. justifies his actions to why he was put in jail. King says that he is doing society a favor by breaking the law and making the government
Transcendentalism is a concept that relies on living in simplicity, trusting oneself and having nothing in excess. It is a unique concept that tells you not to use complicated materialistic things, lets you strive for your dreams and tells you not to waste things. Throughout the past many years, Transcendentalism has affected society in many different ways. The concept of Transcendentalism was founded by the philosophers Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson and has had huge influence on society such as the creation of many movies, books and even protests. One of the most significant pieces of work to have influenced society is Civil Disobedience by Thoreau. Civil Disobedience is a transcendental work that talks about disobeying the law using non-violent protesting. It talks about changing the governments’ laws rather than trying to overthrow them and whether we should obey unjust laws and wait for a majority to alter them or just disobey the law. Civil Disobedience’s transcendental influence on these Martin Luther King and Mohandas Gandhi very started non-violent revolutions across the globe by commencing The Civil Rights legitimization of blacks in America and freeing Indians under British rule.
Martin Luther King Jr. played a major part in The Civil Rights legitimization of blacks in America in 1964. Throughout King’s demonstrations he spread the ideas of Thoreau and that of Civil Disobedience. In The Letter from a Birmingham Jail, King writes, “An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for law” (Letter from a Birmingham Jail). Ironically while sitting in Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. justifies his actions to why he was put in jail. King says that he is doing society a favor by breaking the law and making the government
Cited: "53 Inspiring Quotes from Martin Luther King Jr." Live Intentionally. N.p., 16 Jan. 2012. Web. 09 May 2013. "Letter from a Birmingham Jail [King, Jr.]." Letter from a Birmingham Jail. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2013. "Thoughts On The Business Of Life." Thoughts and Quotes: An Unjust Law Is Its. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 May 2013.