Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, And Nelson Mandela Was Justified In Breaking The Laws

925 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Rosa parks explanatory essay

People break laws every day for many reasons. They do it by trying to have fun, having hatred towards another person, wanting acknowledgement, or by standing up for what they believe in. It is not right to break a law, but if someone does it by standing up for what they believe in, it may be negotiable. Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr, and Nelson Mandela were all justified in breaking the law which caused them to change the lives of many people. Rosa Parks was justified in breaking the law on December 1, 1955. On the city buses of Montgomery, Alabama, the front 10 seats were permanently reserved for white passengers. The diagram shows that Mrs. Parks was seated in the first row behind those 10 seats (Bredhoff). That is to say, when Rosa …show more content…

Rosa Parks was justified in breaking the law because she stood up for herself and changed civil rights movement. She was right for standing up for herself because she knew that it was the right thing to do after dealing with all of the segregation laws. She changed civil rights movement because her act set in motion a 381-day bus boycott. The boycott led to a U.S. Supreme Court decision outlawing segregation on city buses. It also set a pattern for community-based protest that became a successful strategy in the civil rights movement. Now, in most countries blacks and whites can sit on the same bus without reserved spots. This situation can be negotiable because some people may think that she did deserve to get arrested and some people may think that …show more content…

He was justified in breaking the law in 1965. Because black people had suffered injustice for so long, King believed they should not have to wait any longer for change (“King’s Letter from...”). So, King decided to make a change for the blacks and that is what caused him to get arrested. King was justified in breaking the law because he stood up for himself and his community. He stood up for blacks because he knew that there had to be a change in the world due to all of the segregation. In present time, most people consider all men equal, thanks to Martin Luther King Jr. As a result, he is known as one of the most important voices of the American civil rights movement. This can be negotiable because some people may believe that he deserved to get arrested and some people may not. People may have not agreed with King’s thoughts on equality so they think that he deserved to get arrested. Others may agree with his thoughts and think it can help the world. This proves that King was justified in breaking the law and had an effect on civil rights movement and racial

Show More
Related

  • Douglass and King: Advice They Might Have Accepted from Thoreau

    562 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received a Nobel Prize and was honored by the President of the United States for his contributions to society. On the other hand, he was prosecuted, convicted, incarcerated, and had his sentence had to be reaffirmed by the Supreme Court. It is hard to understand why he was incarcerated if what he did was noble. When we take into account these manifestations of the government's attitude towards Martin Luther King, we can safely make the assumption that the government is not always justified in the laws that it creates. Our government's original purpose was to keep order and ensure freedom to its people.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Injustice In Letter From Birmingham Jail

    758 Words  | 2 Pages

    talks about how African Americans in the South were being arrested and publicly chastened by the police force for their nonviolent protests. But, he extols these protests because of what they stand for. He says they “…preserve the evil system of segregation…I wish you had commended the Negro demonstrators of Birmingham for their sublime courage, their willingness to suffer, and their amazing discipline in the midst of the most inhuman provocation” (94). Because these people were aiming to end the discrimination they were facing, and did this in a peaceful manner that respected their Judeo-Christian values that all men are created equal, King saw it as exactly what this oppressed group needed. They needed a push of confidence to know that they were being treated unjustly, and that they did have the power to stand up to

    Read More

  • The Montgomery Bus Boycott: The Black Power Movement

    619 Words  | 2 Pages

    In 1955, African Americans were required by a Montgomery, Alabama city ordinance to sit in the back of all city buses. They had to give up their seats to white American riders if the front of the bus, which was reserved for whites, was full. On December 1, 1955, a few days before the Montgomery Bus Boycott began, Rosa Parks, an African American woman, refused to give up her seat to a white man on the Montgomery bus. When the white seats filled, the driver, J. Fred Blake, asked Rosa Parks and three other African Americans to vacate their seats.

    Read More

  • The Impact Of The Niagara Movement

    2229 Words  | 5 Pages

    Rosa Parks was a member of the NAACP, lived in Montgomery Alabama, and rode the public bus system. In the south, during this time the buses were segregated which meant that black people had to ride in the back of the bus behind a painted line. White people entered the front of the bus and were compelled to sit in front of the painted line. Most buses at the time had more room for white riders who used the service less than the black ridership. Yet, they could not cross the line even if the seats in the front were empty (Brown-Rose, 2008). Rosa Parks made a bold statement when she sat in the “white section” of a Montgomery bus. She was asked to surrender her seat to a white man, but she did not move and was soon arrested. Her brave action started the Montgomery bus Boycott, with the help of the NAACP, none other than Dr. Martin Luther King’s leadership as part of the Montgomery Improvement Association. As its President, he was able spread the word quickly which brought national attention to the small town of Montgomery’s bus Boycott. The boycott was televised and brought so much attention that the United States Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public transportation was unconstitutional; a success spurring a more

    Read More

  • Just And Unjust Laws: Dr. Martin Luther King

    1888 Words  | 4 Pages

    Dr. Martin Luther King is considered to be one of the most influential civil rights leader in the United States of America during the 1900’s. He had began his career as an ordained minister who worked primarily in the south to increase the numbers of African Americans registered voters in the southern communities but had later on spent the remainder of his life working towards the civil movements for the African American community. His goal was to put an end to the discriminatory unjust laws which denied civil rights to the African community. According to Dr. King “A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God” and “A unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law” (). Laws are, indeed, man-made

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King's Acceptance Speech Analysis

    697 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther King Jr. is considered the formative figure in the modern fight for the civil rights movement and fought for racial equality with something much stronger than tolerance. He fought for the equal rights for all people of every background. Being a leader of racial equality and spoke up for the wrong doing of society, but also the peoples' actions towards making America a better place and equal opportunity. The reason he is so unique is because he was non-violent in his goals. King had great moral and philosophical purposes by speaking out in the public of the conflicts that was going on during that time and finding ways to overcome those conflicts in a peaceful

    Read More

  • Civil Disobedience

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. received a Nobel Prize and was honored by the President of the United States for his contributions to society. On the other hand, he was prosecuted, convicted, incarcerated, and had his sentence reaffirmed by the Supreme Court. These explanations seem rather contradictory. If what he did was noble, why was he jailed for his actions? When we take into account these manifestations of the government's attitude towards Martin Luther King, we can safely make the assumption that the government is not always justified in the laws that it creates. Our government's original purpose was to keep order and ensure freedom to its people. As history has shown us, as in the case of African Americans, the government will expand its role and take away liberties of the few. The individual is justified in acting out in civil disobedience when the government restricts the liberties of the individual.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King Research Paper

    910 Words  | 2 Pages

    Martin Luther King was one of the greatest civil right activists in American history. Martin Luther King impacted American society in many ways and one of the most important things he did for America was weakening racism in America. At the time when he was living, colored people living America were treated differently with white people. For example colored people needed a pass to go through certain places, they could not go to the same school as white people and it was much harder for colored people to get a job compare to white people. Martin Luther king thought these were wrong. He also thought these were against American dream. For him American dream meant every people having equal rights, opportunity and freedom. What was happening in America were completely against these. To fix this problem, Martin Luther King moved around the country and did nonviolent protest and organized a peaceful marching which attracted national attention showing brutality of police that were trying to stop the march. Martin Luther King also delivered a lot of speeches that inspired many people all over the world and one of his speeches include “I have a Dream.” One of the most famous speeches in America. In this speech he clearly explain his own opinion of how he think everyone should be treated

    Read More

  • King's Refutation Toward the Clergymen

    1493 Words  | 3 Pages

    Martin Luther King, Jr. is known to be a civil rights activist, humanitarian, a father, and a clergyman. He is well known for fighting for the equal rights of colored people and ending discrimination. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail is an important part of history that showed King’s opinion of a letter that he happened to read in the newspaper written by a group of clergyman. In this letter, the group of clergyman report that colored people, also known as black people, are being violent towards Birmingham City. Also, the clergymen believed the time that will allow segregation to be diminished was not happening anytime soon because it is not convenient. King refuted the clergymen’s argument in a variety of ways using tactics of argumentation and persuasion like appeal to emotion through real life examples, appeal to logic, and even articulating certain phrases through metaphors and word choice. Many of these different tactics of argumentation and persuasion made his letter very effective and is now seen as a great piece that is looked upon highly today.

    Read More

  • Rosa Parks Significance

    570 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rosa Parks was a African American woman who sat in the front of the bus after a long hard day at work. As she traveled on the bus back home, a Caucasian male approached and asked her to get up from her seat to go to the back of the bus because he wanted to sit there. Instead of avoiding the trouble and just going to the back of the bus, she decided to stay where she was . Due to the time period, because of her not giving her seat up to the gentlemen, she was arrested and charged with civil disobedience. After her arrest was made a boycott would ensue

    Read More

  • Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., the Leader of the Civil Rights Movement

    1031 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was one of the greatest civil rights leaders to ever live. Through his empowering speeches, he made a huge impact on the world for the equality of all races. Throughout King’s life, he showed everyone how he believed equality should be acquired. With his peaceful protests and amazing speeches, he influenced people both during his time and after he passed. Many believe that King’s work in the Civil Rights Movement was the final push that America needed to finally respect people no matter their skin color.

    Read More

  • Martin Luther King: Analysis Of Nobel Peace Prize Acceptance Speech

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dr. King had been one of the greatest leading person during the 21st century. Fifty years later till this day, the message he has portrayed, is still being reviewed today. The ideas that King had brought along in his speeches would still be relevant to civil problems that are occurring in the United States currently. One of the most incredible moments in his life at the time was when he conveyed his tendency from human rights onto the stage of the world; educating the listeners, while obtaining the Nobel Peace Prize Award.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Letter From A Birmingham Jail

    1485 Words  | 3 Pages

    As Gandhi once said “An unjust law is itself a species of violence”. Arrest for breach is more so” Retrieved from: www.brainyquote.com. This is exactly what happened to Martin Luther King Jr. After facing segregation for his skin color, he was imprisoned for participating in a nonviolent protest. He reflects upon the morality of this in his “Letter from A Birmingham Jail,” where he effectively incorporates anaphora, strong diction, enthyme and allusions in his ethos and pathos appeals, while supporting them with his logic behind it all.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Letter From Birmingham Jail

    783 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dr. King effectively expresses why his critics are wrong in a passionate tone. He is extremely zealous about the rights that African-Americans have been neglected to have and should have, as well as everyone else. Mr King was criticized for his “untimely” actions in Birmingham. “This wait has almost always meant ‘never.’” (King 264) Martin Luther King isn’t just a bystander witnessing the injustice; he is a victim and one of the few who is willing to fight for justice well deserved.

    Read More

  • Marijuana Should be Legalized

    1600 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to Martin Luther King Jr., “There are two types of laws: there are just and there are unjust laws” (King 293). During his time as civil rights leader, he advocated civil disobedience to fight the unjust laws against African-Americans in America. For instance, there was no punishment for the beatings imposed upon African-Americans or for the burning of their houses despite their blatant violent, criminal, and immoral demeanor. Yet, an African-American could be sentenced to jail for a passive disagreement with a white person such as not wanting to give up their seat to a white passenger on a public bus. Although these unjust laws have been righted, Americans still face other unjust laws in the twenty-first century.

    Read More

More about Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, And Nelson Mandela Was Justified In Breaking The Laws

Open Document