Custom term paper on Civil disobedience in the history of USA

History is full of stories about people who, at the cost of their lives, refused to obey immoral by their submission claims, but many of them have remained in obscurity.
Henry Thoreau, who lived in 19. in the U.S. state of Massachusetts, became one of the most eloquent advocates of the idea of civil disobedience. He was arrested in 1846 for refusing to pay poll tax, on the grounds that the state supported institution of slavery, so he had spent the night in a jail cell until relatives had not paid a fine. Thoreau’s protest had no practical consequences, but he felt it necessary to oppose the US-Mexican War, which, in his view, the country got involved for the sake of conquest of territory, which could extend the system of slavery.
In an essay “Civil Disobedience” (1849) Toro said: “I can not recognize as the government a political organization that governs slaves …The only obligation which I admit is that at any time to do so, as I think it’s right. Thoreau believed that people are able to create a “retarding force to stop the car and make a” peaceful revolution “. (Townsend Davis, p.311)
Work of G. Thoreau “Civil Disobedience” was written in 1849 and readers can hardly understand the essence of work, if do not know the historical realities of that time in the U.S. But the views of Henry Thoreau are served as a spiritual example for many political actions.
In the U.S., the most famous example of civil disobedience was the civil rights movement of 1950-1960-s, whose members were fighting against racial segregation and discrimination. Unlike the campaigns in South Africa and other African colonies, the aim was to achieve political independence, the movement of civil disobedience in the United States appealed to the Constitution, in particular, to the Bill of Rights, which guarantees all citizens equal rights. custom term paper
The priest, Martin Luther King Jr., who became the “voice of conscience of America, wrote:” Very soon I realized that the Christian doctrine of love, method of nonviolence, is one of the most powerful tools, that Negro need in the fight for freedom. ” (Townsend Davis, p. 324)
In 1955, 26-years old King led the boycott of city buses in Montgomery (Alabama), especially the abolition of racial segregation on public transport. Then he held similar campaigns across the American South and was arrested in Birmingham (Alabama), where he said the white clergy, who condemned performances of segregation, the famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail”. King urged his supporters “not to obey the laws of segregation, because they are immoral.” (Townsend Davis)
At the same time, he rejected the acts of antisocial behavior that could lead to anarchy. He believed that civil disobedience should show “a profound respect for the law” and be an alternative to the violence generated by the hatred and despair.( Risa L. Goluboff, p.450)
Following the example of King, students and the youth of America organized bus “freedom flights” and sit-ins at segregated restaurants, having achieved a few years of unprecedented solidarity. The position of King’s non-violence has been criticized by extremist groups – the Party of the Black Panthers and Malcolm X’s Muslim leader, who insisted that black Americans, if necessary, had the right to defend themselves with arms.