Justice Shall Be

Essay by firefox480College, UndergraduateA-, November 2008

download word file, 9 pages 3.0 1 reviews

�PAGE � �PAGE �1�

Justice Shall Be

Beginning with the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and Bill of Rights, and the government is constantly creating other acts and laws regarding the present time, the government of our American society has created many rules and regulations about the way we live our lives. Such laws apply to everyone, therefore everyone is effected, regardless of whether just or unjust. How should we feel about these laws, and can we, as citizens of the United States of America, affect the way the government governs us by the actions we take? I believe we can. If citizens feel that an injustice has been perpetrated against us, incorporated by unfair laws, we can stand up for what we believe in and can do this without violence. Taking action does not necessarily need to involve violence; achieving improvements can come through actions and words passively. Many, including Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther Kind, Jr.,

have experimented with this hypothesis and have found nonviolent ways to change federal laws.

As one example who experimented with the view of non-violent opposition, Henry Davis Thoreau explains his idea of how the government is insignificant and plays a miniscule role for good in our society. In his argument, "The government is best which governs least" (375). Thoreau hopes for less force from the government, but while waiting for change, he encourages "Civil Disobedience" to counteract unjust laws (375). "The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it" (375). Thoreau explains that the people have selected and voted for this government to govern and protect them, when in actuality, the government does very little.

"Can there not...