Gandhi addresses not only matters of race and skin color but also the caste system and the social stratification that currently pervade the entire globe.

The liberation of India from British colonialism and the establishing of what Gandhi called 'home rule' is powerful evidence of the role nonviolence can play in bringing about justice and eliminating injustice. The lives of more than a billion residents of India have been profoundly shaped by the ideas Gandhi presents and defends in these selections from MY NONVIOLENCE. If forced to choose between doing nothing and using violence, he would choose violence but his many writings and speeches are designed to show that we almost always have a nonviolent alternative to oppose injustice and foster justice. Although Gandhi staunchly defends and promotes the use of nonviolence, he is quick to condemn inaction as an even greater evil than violence. was heavily influenced by the rhetoric, the actions, and the overall philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr., who famously combined civil disobedience and nonviolent action under the strong influence of Mohandas K. The Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and 1970s in the U.S. It is no surprise to find Thoreau defending the idea of civil disobedience, but his defense of John Brown, who used violence, including murder, commands our attention.

Of the many philosophical ideas Thoreau explores, the central concern is how to end slavery and provide justice for all. The essays in this collection by Henry David Thoreau urge us to consider the difficult matter of how to counter the specific injustice manifested in the practice of buying and selling human beings and how to implement laws and practices that help establish justice. Can justice be forced on individuals and communities?

Thoreau gandhi