There are times throughout the history of the United States when its citizens have felt the need to revolt against the government. The two essays, "Civil Disobedience," by Henry David Thoreau, and "Letter From a Birmingham Jail," by Martin Luther King, Jr., effectively illustrate the authors' opinions of justice. Each author has his main point; Thoreau, in dealing with justice as it relates to government, asks for "not at once no government, but at once a better government. King contends that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." Both essays offer a complete argument for justice.

Thoreau wrote "Civil Disobedience" in 1849 after spending a night in the Walden town jail for refusing to pay a poll tax that supported the Mexican War. He recommended passive resistance as a form of tension that could lead to reform of unjust laws practiced by the government. He voiced civil disobedience as "An expression of the individual's liberty to create change". Thoreau felt that the government had established order that resisted reform and change. "Action from principle, the perception and the performance of right, changes things and relations; it is essentially revolutionary".

Thoreau and King shared the same ideas of unjust laws performed by the government. Thoreau didn't have mass of followers like King but he still made a long-term impact. Both men inspired reforms and the overturning of unjust laws and customs. By acting civil but disobedient you are able to protest things you don't think are fair, non-violently.

Many years after Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience", Dr. Martin Luther King took they same idea of passive resistance to protest the injustices brought upon the Afro-American race in the United States. King used peaceful sit-ins and rallies to unite the black community. Blacks were forced to sit on the back of busses, use separate bathrooms, water fountains, spaces in a restaurant, and schools. Segregation made the blacks feel inferior and unequal. King led many black protesters to use methods such as banning busses and marches. These non-violent acts of public speech eventually lead to King's arrest for leading a non-violent march in Birmingham Alabama.

While being held in Birmingham Jail, King wrote "The Letter from Birmingham Jail" to his fellow clergymen expressing how disappointed he was with the U.S. and segregation. King wrote "Any law that uplifts human personality is just...All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality". Thoreau wrote his letter that shared the same views as King about government injustices. Thoreau wrote how disappointed he was with the government by forcing him to pay a poll tax that supported a war and slavery.

The main difference between the two is that Thoreau primariily used politics in his arguments while Dr. King was a known person of religion. While Dr. King preached about God and the Bible and what is right according to it, Thoreau used the Constitution and politics as his. Thoreau asks of the Governor, "What has he been about the last fortnight? Has he had as much as he could do to keep on the fence during this moral earthquake?" Again, Thoreau uses powerful rhetoric to convince the audience that the system is flawed.

Both Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau are persuasive writers. Even though both writers are writing on ways to be civil but disobedient, they have opposite ways of convincing you. Dr. King is religious, gentle and apologetic, focusing on what's good for the group; while Thoreau is very aggressive and assertive for his own personal hate against the government.

The other thing that happens is King is respecting the law by obeying it. He is a peaceful man and wants justice, but believes in following the rules peacefully to get the job done. Thoreau feels that conscience plays a more personal role. "Why has every man a conscience, then I think that we should be men first, and subject afterward". Thoreau is questioning why majorities make the rules. He is questioning democracy. He's telling us to question anything we do and wh

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Approximate Word count = 1972
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)