Civil disobedience has been around for a long time. In biblical times, Christians disobeyed laws that went against their beliefs, such as the law they could not preach. (Acts 4) Christians still disobey the laws in many countries that do not let them practice their faith, some end up in prison or are killed. In the past in this country, Thoreau wrote an essay on civil disobedience saying that people make the law and have a right to disobey unjust laws, to try to change those laws. Under British rule in India, the British were harshly oppressive and only interested in exploiting Indian products for their own use, which made many Indians extremely poor. They were so oppressed that they were on the verge of violent civil disobedience, when Gandhi appeared to negotiate with the British and launched non-violent tactics such as sit-ins and hunger strikes. People supported Gandhi and were ready to become violent if anything happened to him. Things were resolved without violence. In New York in the 1940s, a nonviolent act of civil disobedience took place among black people to protest segregation laws. Black people were not allowed to live in white neighborhoods, had to ride in the back of buses, lived in poverty with poor schools, and were frequently beaten by police. A few years later, the civil rights movement with Martin Luther King, who used violent means such as sit-ins, boycotts and speeches to achieve equal rights for African Americans. Sometimes civil disobedience can turn violent as in the case of South Africa during the struggle to end separation. It began as passive resistance, but after years of struggle without change, a violent group formed that was willing to do anything to gain the freedom they desired. In recent years, the issue of abortion has sparked some civil disobedience in an effort to repeal laws allowing abortion, using sit-ins, prayers, etc. outside of clinics. Some within this group believe they have the right to use any means necessary to end the killings of unborn children by attacking doctors who perform abortions or bombing a clinic. They believe that a violent approach is the only way to solve a problem. Additionally, when emotions are high, the potential for violence increases. At Kohlberg's moral stages, five and six people begin to understand morality and social good, and then moral reasoning. Fundamental human rights become important, as do principles.