Throughout history, the main catalyst toward social progression were disobedience and rebellion. The first step in changing something you don't approve of is taking a step toward changing it, which in itself is a form of disobedience. If you don’t do anything about it, then the situation will never be resolved. Like David Thoreau once said, “Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.”. Every human rights movement in history started with an act of disobedience, and ended in improvement in society. Without rebellion, no progress toward change will be made, therefore disobedience/rebellion is not only a valuable human trait, but a vital part of social progression. One great example of this can actually be found in our very own 2nd Amendment rights. The 2nd Amendment gives us the right as US citizens to possess weapons in case we need to defend ourselves against a tyrannical government, hence the part “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State.”. We are encouraged in our own rights as Americans to become disobedient towards our own country, as long as it leads to advancement toward positive change. …show more content…
There’s Rosa Parks, a black women who refused to give up her seat on the bus in 1955 who which by doing so aided in starting the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Another event that aided in this was the March on Washington, which was when about 200,000 people, both black and white, met in Washington to protest towards job equality for everyone, and was also the home to the very famous “I Have A Dream” speech by Martin Luther King. It is because of this movement that people under any race, sex, religion, and ancestry has equal rights protected by law, thus creating the free, welcoming country that the US is
Throughout the course of American history, there have been many historical figures who have been responsible for, or were a part of the gradual change of our nation. In the early to mid 1900's, the United States was racially segregated, and African Americans were looked at as second class citizens. In the mid-1900's, a time period which is now known as the Civil Rights Movement, there were a number of different people who helped lead the charge to desegregate the United States. Some of the historical figures, who's names are synonymous with the Civil Rights Movement, include political activist Martin Luther King, NAACP officer Medgar Evers, Baptist minister Malcolm X, and normal citizen Rosa Parks. All of these people were a very large part of the Civil Rights Movement and attempted to recognize African Americans as equals to Whites.
According to Oscar Wilde, disobedience is a valuable human trait that promotes social progress. Civil disobedience allows for the unification of various groups to fight towards a common goal, often resulting in change. Historically, there has been much evidence supporting Wilde’s claim. Significant examples of disobedience that led to social progress include the Boston Tea Party, the Salt March, and the Civil Rights Movement.
There are times throughout the history of the United States when its citizens have felt the need to revolt against the government. There were such cases during the time of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Henry David Thoreau, when there was unfair discrimination against the Afro-American community and Americans refusing to pay poll taxes to support the Mexican War. They used civil disobedience to eventually get legislation to stop the injustice brought against them and their nation. Civil disobedience is defined as refusal to obey civil laws or decrees, which usually takes the form of passive resistance. People practicing civil disobedience break a law because they consider the law unjust, and want to call attention to its injustice, hoping to bring about its withdrawal.
The civil and eventually violent disobedience of the thirteen colonies against England resulted in the birth of now one of the most powerful nations in the world. The civil disobedience of those willing to go against the norm allowed for Americans to be able to marry who they chose. It is because of Nelson Mandela getting arrested for what he believed in to allow for south Africa to be free from segregation. Civil disobedience has paved the way for society to become better because at some points society was not based on fairness. It was based on cruel ideologies and those ideologies put laws into affect that were meant to lower certain groups of people. So by breaking those laws it awakens those groups and allows them the motivation to go up against these unfair laws and in doing this allows for these unfair laws to be
In addition to Rosa Parks, other American civil rights leaders were successful in using peaceful resistance to laws as a means to achieve equality for African Americans. For example, the sit-in movement led to the integration of many restaurants.
In our country’s history, Civil Disobedience has had positive effects upon legislation and societal norms. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution states five basic forms of expression that are to be protected by the government: Speech, Press, Assembly, Religion, and Petition. The Founders, in essence, created a means by which the average citizen can achieve political and social change. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. stated in 1989 that, “If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that government cannot prohibit the expression of an idea simply because the society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.”* When citizens speak out or
Oscar Wilde, an Irish author, once suggested that if one were to ever look at the discourse of history, they would find that disobedience is man’s original virtue, and through disobedience social progress is made. The study of history is the study of social progress. Social progressions are the changes that occur in society that progress or improve social, political, and economic structures. Social progress can be achieved in several ways, but just like Oscar Wilde, I believe that disobedience is a valuable human trait that just so happens to be a huge part in the progression our society has made and continues to make.
Blacks are responsible for plenty of inventions that are used today and never gotten credit for. Black History was actually created in the early 1900’s by Dr. Carter G. Woodson. Civil Rights Act, which was to provide equal rights to all people. Regardless of race, religion, gender, or national origin, it also allowed Blacks to eat and go anywhere they chose, and most importantly the Right to Vote. There are a lot of black singers, actors, and athletes today.
From 1954 to 1968, African-Americans in the United States fought with great strength so they could have the right to vote. Not only this, but they also fought for equal rights and the end of segregation. To achieve this multiple activists lead people to fight against this. However, the one that brought incredible change and a great fight was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Foremost, disobedience is a valuable human trait, and it promotes social progress, because it allows an entity to be independent. In the early seventeenth century, the British empire intended to colonize the United States of America. During this process, conflicts occurred between the supposedly loyal subjects of Great Britain and the person who held ultimate authority- the king. American colonists felt that they received unjust treatments from their country, as the empire repeatedly deprived them of their wealth by placing outrageous tariffs. They did not give in, instead, they became determined to fight for better conditions and revolted, or disobeyed the king’s will. Eventually, the United States gained independence and prospered. The inspiring success of the colonists not only testified that disobedience was able to
According to Martin Luther King Jr., “Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust (King, 1963).” King was the leader of the nonviolent resistance and this quote is from the “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” Rebellion against the government should be necessary because it could help the rest of the people, motivate the government and the people, or lastly, what it means to be rebellious.
Disobedience How did this country become what it is today? The answer is simple, for every issue someone had went against the overseer of society, the government. These small acts sparked a movement for the fight of that issue, one by one these issues were resolved and eventually shaped our country as it is today. I believe that without a doubt, disobedience and dissent promotes social progress. From the ideology of communism to the fight for women's rights.
I am a pacifist; I do not believe in nor promote violence. I do, however, promote peaceful protest. The act of civil disobedience, of protesting something that is unjust, unconstitutional is well within our constitutional rights. The right to criticize our government is one that was given, that was fought for by our founding fathers. It is an act that affects our society in a very positive way; peaceful resistance encourages others to criticize a cruel and unfair government. Peaceful protests, strikes, and boycotts have the opportunity to gain the government's attention, to try and stop these so-called "anarchists". When we look back at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we see a hero. We see someone who is intelligent, who is not afraid to argue,
One of the defining factors of a free society is one’s ability to oppose what is deemed wrong and fight for what one believes is in the benefit of the people. We cannot assume or conclude that the government, or any authoritative body, is always moral or just; thus, it is our duty, citizens of the nation, to maintain the balances of power, its distribution of equality and its considerations of morality. It is a necessity to monitor and ensure that justice is preserved throughout, and if it is not then peaceful resistance is the key to improving our free society. Humanity is in a constant struggle for achieving true equality and peace; however, this struggle may at times have to be directed towards the law and political entities. The
The Bible has several episodes that highlight God’s interactions with His children. Several of these episodes have a common theme of disobedience and punishment. Humans, against what should be their better judgment, have been shown to act in contradiction to God’s instructions, and do what they think is best for them. When people flout God’s commands, instead of acting like a nagging parent, He controls them by intervening directly. To carry this out, He does not hesitate in punishing these people for their mistakes, so that they do what is right, which is the thing God wants them to do.