Bijan Safizadeh English III Mr Godburn 6-19-15 MLK’s Civil Disobedience Martin Luther King Jr and Henry David Thoreau both lived in a period of time were they believed their was a social injustice and set out to disobey the law. Thoreau obviously coming first, set out and made a policy known as “civil disobedience” and was soon the model for King’s crusade..Thoreau observed the standards and responsibility of the american citizens to take it into their own hands to protest against the unjust and unconstitutional laws that the government enforces.wise, King preaches to the 8 holy men and the rest of his “audience” that its government was making intolerable and unjust laws and social standards against black people. King believed civil disobedience would be the blacks best attempt at freedom. First off, Both Thoreau and King had a very similar style of persuasive writing. They both tried to get their readers to see their point of view and agree with them, both would state their own advice and recommendations on how to achieve what it is they were persuading. Thoreau's argument of persuasion was to reach out to his readers and tell them that just because something is mainstream it does not necessarily mean it is the right thing to do, rather the citizens should look inside themselves and do what is morally right even if it makes them the minority. “Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his …show more content…
King and Thoreau believed that an the majority was following unjust laws and that the minority that is frowned upon is being ruled by what is “ok” not what is actually ok. “be yourself- not your idea of what you think somebody else's idea of yourself should be.” In this quote, Thoreau is further solidifying his point on being yourself and doing what you think is right. King as well grasped on Thoreau’s hunger for a better government