Are government laws always fair? In the past, laws that were unfair to people were broken without using any violence. Civil disobedience is a common act that consists of ordinary offences, different ways of justification, and many effects. To this day, there has been three major influencers for this act: Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. Civil disobedience is the breaking of a law that is believed to be unjust. It is a,“form of sociopolitical protest consisting of the deliberate and intentional breaking of a law(“Civil Disobedience” 545)”. This act is a nonviolent way to show that a certain law is not fair and that the people are against it. Civil disobedience can be expressed through many different offences. According to the Brownlee in the Stanford Encyclopedia Of Philosophy, some ordinary offences are,”strikes, jaywalking, legal protest, and conscientious objection.” These offences are meant to show a desire for a change of law, and can potentially help the government realize that it is time for a change. Additionally, these offences show how …show more content…
In order for a judge to decide on any disciplinary action they,”must consider not only the particular action, but also the motivation for the engaging act(Nathanson 259).” The causes for the participant’s actions must be determined in order for a punishment, such as imprisonment or castigation, to be determined. Civil disobedience can have a strong effect on society. In 1849, Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience stated,”that government is best which governs least.” Thoreau’s famous quote implied that the government was not doing citizens any good, and the quote resulted in future influencers and citizens to realize the government is not always right. In the long run, his quote had a major effect on society and future influencer’s