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Examples Of Transcendentalism In Civil Disobedience

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Peaceful resistance to laws was prevalent throughout the history of America; back then, it galvanized the government into actions like a catalyst. Once upon a time, the transcendentalists believed that people ought not to blindly follow their government if the laws were unjust. One of their leaders, Henry David Thoreau, encouraged American citizens not to pay taxes. Outcome? Well, he went to jail due to his lack of paying the poll tax. Did he regret about it? As a transcendentalist, Thoreau felt the same as long as his soul was free, or he was even in a better mood, singing and dancing behind bars. “Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison,” according to his essay “Civil Disobedience”. Soon more people started following Thoreau’s doctrine, including Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. “You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.” These words, spoken by Rosa Parks, instigated a great civil movement. Not to mention Dr. King’s famous speech “I have a dream”, which exemplified his strong will for equality. The idea of civil disobedience effectively improved the circumstance of African Americans. …show more content…

It increased greatly in brightness, grabbed everybody’s attention, but it was accompanied by a catastrophic explosion. Although civil disobedience claimed to be “peaceful”, it sometimes turned out to be violent. The protest after President Trump’s Inauguration did not demonstrate “peaceful resistance”. Instead, the protesters were armed with crowbars and threw objects at people and businesses, destroying storefronts and damaging vehicles. Alas, for those protesters, when hatred was evoked by their leaders, properties became the barriers to their

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During the Civil Rights Movement, African Americans were often oppressed and denied their constitutional rights, such as the right to protest. A prominent leader of the Civil Rights Movement was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was a powerful and persuasive writer and speaker. King delivered the famous speech, “I Have a Dream” during the march for freedom on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. He also wrote, “Letter From Birmingham Jail” while he was jailed for protests. King wrote his famous letter in the margins of a newspaper in response to eight white clergymen who criticized his work.

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Thoreau was imprisoned for his violation. Being in prison to him seemed like a useless punishment because the State, the real danger, “did not know its friends from foes” (Thoreau, Paragraph 26) Thoreau makes a point to mention that it is not because he is against any particular item on the bill but he refuses taxes because he wishes “to refuse allegiance to the State” (Thoreau, Paragraph 35) This is his version of a peaceful protest because trying to make change with a vote will do nothing. One of his main problems made him share a common motive with Turner and Douglass, he did not believe in slavery. This piece is the most powerful approach of all reviewed through the semester.

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In recent years in can be noted that civil disobedience is prominent in American culture. This can be portrayed in the recent events of the Keystone Pipeline activists. Many activists have blamed the government for their problems just as Thoreau did in his essay “Civil Disobedience”. There can be a parallel drawn between these two topics even though they have decades between them. In these times it is still logical to believe that civil disobedience is the right course of action.

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Throughout the writing of “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau often referred back to his idea that he supported which was “That government is best which governs not at all.” (Thoreau) In the passage, Thoreau believed that the government does not have a conscience. He talked about not wanting to pay the government poll tax, which in result, caused him to be thrown into jail. A poll tax is just a tax on a person for existing, therefore, everyone had to pay the same amount regardless of the value of their possessions.

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Martin Luther King Jr. inexplicably opened the eyes of Americans across the nation with his role in the movement and his use of resonating imagery, excellent emotional appeal, powerful voice, and evocation of logic in his “I Have a Dream” speech. With such an enthralling rhetoric he gained a vast amount of support and exponentially increased the pride in standing up for what’s righteous and just. Exemplifying the throes of being a colored person, King evoked sympathy whilst simultaneously applying the valid logic that no human should be subjected to lesser standards. His rhetoric wholly changed American history that day and thus conveyed his ability to maintain equanimity throughout all of the

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In order to achieve true freedom one must discover that you can break unjust laws through peaceful protest. In “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr and “The Speech at The March Washington” by Josephine Baker each article passionately argues about the disadvantages of the black community, the equality and power of education. We must learn to act with patients and not guns we must protect are self’s with a pen and paper not violence. Dr. King once4 said “Nonviolence is a powerful and just weapon. It is unique in history which cuts without wounding and ennobles the man who wields it.

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Two different writers. Two different issues. Two different time periods. Two different races. One hundred years can make Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience” and Martin Luther King's “Letter from Birmingham Jail” seem widely different from each other.

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From the beginning of mankind’s recorded history, opposition to established governing bodies have always been recorded. Whether through coup d'etat or a peaceful protest, resistance to authority always causes change in some way. The United States Government changes; laws are meant to change as well. America prides itself on the history of its peaceful protests and revolutions, demonstrating positive effects on a free society. Because peaceful resistance wasn’t creating progressive change, radical disobedience was the key to change in the 1700’s during the American Revolution.

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Although laws are put in place to protect the citizens on which it is enforced, no system of government is perfect. There are times in which laws are passed that have a controversial effect on society, be it the segregation of race or religion, or the NSA spying on US citizens. Based on this, it can be concluded that civil disobedience is a peaceful way to express the unjustness of a law in hopes of change. Rosa Parks is an excellent example of civil disobedience having a positive impact on society. After peacefully violating the Jim Crow law that enforced segregation, Parks was arrested in order to raise discourse on the treatment of African Americans in American society.

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Martin Luther King’s speech, “I Have a Dream” is vastly recognized as one of the best speeches ever given. His passionate demand for racial justice and an integrated society became popular throughout the Black community. His words proved to give the nation a new vocabulary to express what was happening to them. Martin was famously a pacifist, so in his speech, he advocated peaceful protesting and passively fighting against racial segregation.

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In Douglass’s speech “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”, he makes the controversial claim that in certain circumstances when peaceful means fail, violent resistance is not only justified, but necessary. The arguments Douglass makes prove that it is in fact a necessary form of resistance needed in order to produce substantial results. When all else fails and the desired outcome still has not been achieved, more action needs to be taken in order to do what’s right. This is proven from texts by Douglass, S.K. Bryant, and Davis, as well as the more recent example of riots that broke out in Ferguson, Missouri. Violent resistance should never be the immediate route when trying to bring about change.

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Civil Disobedience Thousands of dedicated people march the streets of a huge city, chanting repetitively about needing a change. They proudly hold vibrant signs and banners as they fight for what they believe in. Expressions of determination and hope are visibly spread across their faces. These people aren’t using weapons or violence to fight for their ideas; simply, they are using civil disobedience.

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The Civil Rights Movement was a big thing for the United states and we as Americans will always remember Martin Luther King Jr. for helping lead the people and inspire change and bring hope. The speech “ I Have a Dream” by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an important gathering of people at the Lincoln Memorial. A huge crowd gathered to listen to his powerful speech which helped to inspire change. Martin Luther King also wrote a letter to eight white clergymen named “Letter From Birmingham Jail” the letter was written in in his jail cell which he was in for marching and protests. In both of these texts Dr. King used pathos and logos to inspire change and reach out to the people during the civil rights movements.

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Peaceful Resistance no matter what way you look at it, it 's still going against someone whether it involves words or actions, resistance still causes more conflict. The last 5 years we have had people say they want change through these “peaceful protest” but these peaceful protests have done nothing but turn to violent riots were theirs damage to vehicles, business families rely on destroyed, bystanders hurt, officers killed and our country torn apart. Back when Martian Luther King Jr was around and he had his Peaceful Resistance or rallies for equality, they were peaceful and brought our country together with something that needed to be changed, but the protest we’ve had the last 5 years… he would be ashamed of. Peaceful Resistance to laws does negatively impact our free society in America. First going along with what I said about there being “peaceful rallies” even though some people may be at these rallies to make a difference to support their opinion, not everyone can respect that.

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This citation shows that Thoreau did not want to follow the laws. Thoreau also believed in living life by following moral law and not law stated in the constitution. Thoreau also believed that the government does best if it does not rule over the people. In the essay Civil Disobedience it says “That government is best which governs least”. This shows what Thoreau felt the government should not do.

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