Preview

Is It Ever Right to Break Law?

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
611 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Is It Ever Right to Break Law?
“If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it; he is obligated to do so.”
Thomas Jefferson
Assignment: Is it ever right to break a law?
Law is an ancient procedure. It refers to a system of rules , set by a society to maintain order and protect persons and property.With evolving time its procedure of implementation has varied. It is written by the legislators, enforced by the police and supported by the court and prison systems. Its smooth implementation depends upon the functioning of a righteous legal system. However., certain rules tend to jeopardize independence, the social structure and creativity in any form. . I strongly believe that breaking such laws is justiciable as they restore liberty , bring about a positive social change and give recognition to human creativity which is above fanaticism.
Man’s independence is of paramount importance and its jeopardy needs to be dealt with firmly. History is replete with such examples and every leader of such a revolution is a Messiah of sorts. The Civil disobedience movement led by Mahatma Gandhi aimed at breaking and opposing laws imposed by the British rule. The salt satyagraha, the burning of foreign goods and the call to leave India, was definitely breaking laws. But then the implication was of far greater significance as this paved the way for the freedom of India from the British rule . This movement further inspired so many freedom struggles in the world and quenched the thirst for independence. So breaking such laws was surely justified.
At times it becomes very necessary to break a law which directly or indirectly aims at hindering social progress. Slavery was a social crime and without breaking it mankind could not have forgiven itself. The Civil War was all about the abolition of slavery. Martin Luther King , the champion of this cause had rightly stated that "An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust and who willingly accepts the penalty of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Law is good. Man, in his needs, has different motivations for law in his society. His secular needs require striving for justice, social stability and punishment. However, in the area of religious influence, law should promote morality so that believers can get close to god or be separated and condemned by god. As man and society evolves, the purpose of law has remained the same – to punish and deter.…

    • 878 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This quote came from the “Civil Disobedience” text and once again they both use the point of people having to obey the unjust laws or do they stand up to them and get them changed. Then he blames the government and the men who agree to have these unjust laws taking place.…

    • 593 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Slavery is the central conflict in which northern and southern states disagree whether or not to abolish it. Frederick Douglass wrote, “The fact that this is a slaveholder's rebellion and nothing else - all point out that slavery as the thing to be struck down, as the best means of the successful and permanent establishment of peace and prosperity of the nation.” There were many factors that resulted in the uprising of the Civil War, but disagreement over slavery was the main one. Without slavery, our nation would finally establish unity and peace.…

    • 612 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    2. Thoreau considers civil disobedience as a duty rather than a right because he believes that the individual should “make known what kind of government would command his respect,” which “will be one step toward obtaining it” (941). When a civil law, or a law established by the government contradicts with the divine law, it becomes a duty for an individual to disobey the civil law. In his essay, Thoreau describes majority of the men as “machines,” serving the state “not as merely as men mainly” (941). Thoreau believes that in order to preserve the moral sense of the individual, civil disobedience is necessary and it is the duty of the people to go against the civil law.…

    • 723 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One who breaks and unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty. I submit that 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. (161)…

    • 972 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Is it ever be justifiable to break the law? Basically the question is would you break the law if it was for a good reason. For that I would say yes. Even though, laws are meant to maintain order in a citsatie. There’s certain sichwashions were it would be best for what is happing.…

    • 749 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    According to the infamous essay by Henry David Thoreau, civil disobedience is the conscious and intentional disobeying of a law to advance a moral principle or change government policy. Throughout the essay, Thoreau urges the need for individuals to put their personal and social consciousness before their allegiance to their government and its range of policies. Thoreau believed that if a government is unjust, citizens should simply refuse to follow the law and eventually begin to distance themselves from their government in a variety of ways. Although published 105 years one of the most turbulent and crucial times in American history, the leaders…

    • 1643 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    An observer can approve the motives that lead to some of these actions and disapprove others. All, nevertheless, raise the same fundamental question: Does the individual have the right—or perhaps the duty—to disobey the law when his mind, his conscience or…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Civil Disobedience

    • 2694 Words
    • 3 Pages

    I HEARTILY ACCEPT the motto, — "That government is best which governs least"; and I…

    • 2694 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    “All men recognize the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable.” (Henry David Thoreau)…

    • 761 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Civil disobedience is one of the most important rights given to every citizen. Through civil disobedience citizens are able to aperture their feelings against the government and have right to legislate changes that they feel are necessary for the contentment of the entire society. What responsibilities does a virtuous citizen have to follow the law? Socrates in Plato’s “The Crito” and Martin Luther King, Jr. in his “Letter from Birmingham Jail” answer this question from a contradictory perception. According to “Crito” (399 BCE) Socrates declares that no matter what, it is his duty to follow the law of his city, Athens. However in King (1963), St. Thomas Aquinas argues that “a just law is no law at all”(King, 399) . These two contradicting opinions on this subject matter tell us that there is no evidence of perfect justice. It is authoritative that citizens practice civil disobedience in the face of unjust laws. This will not only make the government aware that its citizens will not obey all laws undeniably and without respond, but it is also important for every citizen to use his or her disobedience as a way to help create a more just society.…

    • 1362 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The cruel treatment and salt monopoly inspired Gandhi to unify the people in “campaign of satyagraha, or mass civil disobedience.” Salt is a vital part of Indian diet recognized when the Salt Acts were enacted which put a “monopoly over the manufacture and sale of salt”. [1] Gandhi led nonviolent demonstrations as the people defied British policy by making salt from seawater. The British would soon respond by brutally beating the peaceful demonstrators bringing international outrage. By August 1947, Britain caved in to the pressure granting India its independence. Gandhi’s civil disobedience movement influenced India by putting it on the path to become the country we know today.[2] Detractors will say that the ends doesn’t justify the means. They claim that civil disobedience will set a standard for illegality and contempt for the law that others will follow. An example used occurred in 1999 in London where the ‘Carnival against Capitalism’ took place. What started as peaceful protest against economic policy devolved into “self-indulgent violence and destruction of property in the city, achieving nothing but notoriety for its cause.”[3] On the other hand if the law itself is unjust then the people should disobey in order to bring about the greater good not just for themselves but for future…

    • 799 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The American Civil War was an intense, violent war fought within one of the most powerful countries in the world. The reasons for the outbreak of this war are varied. From the formation of America to 1860, the people in this country were divided. This division was a result of location and personal sentiments. Peace could not continue in a country filled with quarrels that affected the common American. There is a common misconception that the American Civil War was fought only over slavery, when in fact there were several other reasons for why the War Between the States was fought. One cannot deny that issues over the rights and wrongs of slavery were at the core of this infamous war; however it would be naïve to assume that slavery was the only driving force behind this conflict.…

    • 1813 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Breaking Unjust Laws

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In a democracy we have a moral duty in general to obey the laws or to attempt altering laws we don’t like through the electoral process. In America civil disobedience cannot be justified since it goes against the ideals of democracy. Living in a country where there are legal solutions to a problem that can take months or years to solve, people must voice their concerns and rebel against the government through grassroots movements and protests. Breaking laws that were created to protect the government and its citizens does not have to involve violence. Sometimes we have to break unjust laws that only benefit certain groups and burden others.…

    • 720 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In a free society, it is inevitable for reform to occur.It is a common theme across world history for people to peacefully challenge the decisions of those above them.From the plebeians disobeying the laws of Ancient Rome to the Indian Independence Movement, civil disobedience has been among us for so long, and each society is able to build off its predecessors’ mistakes.Henry Thoreau inspired generations to come in his essay, “Civil Disobedience”, and the effect of it was widespread.In fact, while in jail, Mahatma Gandhi picked up a copy of Thoreau’s essay and was able to utilize the tactics discussed by Thoreau to successfully challenge Britain’s control over India.That movement created a template itself as the Civil Rights movement of the…

    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays