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 …show more content…
In the 1960s, Muhammed Ali refused to obey the military draft to fight in the Vietnam War. Ali did not acquiescence and was sentenced to five years of jail and reprieved of his boxing title because he was following his libertarian principles of “non-aggression” and what he thought was right or moral. He immediately accepted the consequences of his resistance and proclaimed “Why should me and other so-called ‘negroes’ go 10,000 miles away from home, here in America, to drop bombs and bullets on other innocent brown people who’s never bothered us and I will say directly: No, I will not go”. He toured the United States speaking out against the war and advocating non-aggression. During the time of Ali civil disobedience was considered treacherous and disloyal, but has evolved since into one of the most essential, and heroic, aspects of democracy. Immediately after Ali’s resistance, many criticized and frowned upon his decision, and many still do. This did not cause him to hesitate or give up, but he proceeded fighting for his principles. Moreover, we must not misconstrue authority’s intentions and motives for being consistently innocent. They are not always just, honest, or moral, for example the Vietnam War in years later was revealed by Daniel Ellsberg that the
From the monarchs of the ancient era to the democracy of today, order has been maintained by means of rules and regulations known as laws. Compliance with these laws is enforced through punishments ranging in severity according to the crimes committed to reduce violence and misconduct from individuals within a society. However, just as citizens consent to abide by the laws of the state in which they reside, one is compelled to preserve justice and condemn the unjust decisions of man when the social contract contradicts the laws sanctioned by God. Approaching this conflict between natural and manmade laws in a non-violent manner is called “civil disobedience”.
“No radical change on the plane of history is possible without crime,” This quote from Hermann Keyserling is just one of many statements that help describe the meaning and true raw power of Civil Disobedience. Civil disobedience as defined by Merriam Webster is the “refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government”. The most promising and understandable of the definitions of Civil Disobedience would be that given to us by Gandhi from India “Compassion in the form of respectful disagreement”. Even the Veterans Fast for Life from here in the United States must agree when saying, “when leaders act contrary to conscience, we must act contrary to leaders.” To understand why civil disobedience is so important in our lives you must first look into your heart and realize that the integrity of mankind has no need of rules.
On March 9, 1966, at the height of the Vietnam War, Muhammad Ali’s draft status was changed, making him eligible to be drafted and fight in the Vietnam War. Ali was lead to say that as a Black Muslim, he was a conscientious objector and would not participate in the war ("Muhammad Ali." Newsmakers). On April 28, 1967, after he was drafted into the military, Muhammad Ali chosen to fight for what he believed. Ali refused induction into the United States Army during the Vietnam War and said the
In 1966 Muhammad Ali was arrested for refusing to be drafted to the war. His boxing license was stripped from him and his boxing
The fight for equality and human rights has been and still is a continuous battle played out on many fronts ranging from struggles between ruling governments and the people, the definition of societal roles and status, and also within the home on a domestic and individual level. The legacy for these battl...
In Chavez's argument, he explained the importance of nonviolence during the Civil Rights Movement. He used Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s movement as an example of successful protest using nonviolence. Although Dr. King's example proved to be effective, after he died, several members of the movement resorted to violence which caused the death of thousands of Americans. Chavez argued nonviolence is the only way to protest violence in order to attract support for his cause: the farm workers' movement. Chavez's rhetorical choices, through his tone and allusion to history, effectively influenced farmers to protest without violence.
Over the years, civil rights have been a problem within the nation as well as the rights of divergent individuals. Keeping that in mind, Muhammad Ali has not been the only person to fight against the civil unrest towards the separation of differently considered people. Staying along those lines, Ali has not only been remembered as a very famous boxer, but also one of the very many well-respected people during the Civil Rights Movement. Ali’s views on the Vietnam War also became a big idea and was recognized as the “first of it’s kind for the movement” (Ezra). The draft of 1969 and the Vietnam War made a huge impact on him in the sense that these were the two
It is in human nature to rebel against things that wrong or unjust, but all too often violence is what is resorted to. Therefore, it is interesting to see how some influential leaders, like Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi, could get the results they fought for with peaceful protest. One of the more recent examples of a civil disobedience leader was Imran Khan, a Pakistani government official that fought for the step down of the prime minister after he and others felt that the 2013 general elections were rigged in the prime minister’s favor. Imran Khan started as a modern-day follower of Thoreau, almost following his ideals exactly, but as the protests grew longer, he couldn’t keep his supporters behind him and on the righteous path, leading
Reaching for justice throughout human history has been one of the primordial dreams chased by most humans while at the same time, hunted as a mere fugitive by others in order to satisfy their appalling thirst for injustice. “Injustice anywhere is at threat to justice everywhere” as stated by Martin lather King, if one doesn’t fight for justice he/she might end up having to face the sad reality of injustice taking over everywhere. In order to not let such a thing take place we need to fight against injustice as one. Two literature works which embrace this idea are Common Sense by Thomas Pain and Letter to Any Would-be Terrorists by Naomi Shihab Nye. These two literature works as example of protest literature were very important in illustrating how crucial it was to fight against injustice because both works were effective in encouraging and helping the authors and their audiences share their ideas about a preoccupying topic while hoping at the same time to someday bring about an important social or political change.
Acts of sabotage and resistance spread across Denmark as the Germans invaded. This limited the control of the Nazi forces. The first signs of resistance were later in the year of 1940. Many acts were non-violent at first. After more German soldiers came to Denmark acts became more violent.
Another person who inspired people to protest peacefully was Henry David Thoreau who, in 1792 said, ”The government is best which governs least.” Thoreau wrote the books “Civil Disobedience.” The most ineffective and substantial march, a positive form of protest against our president elect’s inauguration, was the women’s march, that 4.8 million participated worldwide. More recently, Muhammad Ali said “Don’t give up, suffer now and live your life a legend.” Ali was thrown into jail because he refused to get drafted, he did not believe in the war and what it stood
Peaceful resistance is a key form of standing up to laws and government which oppose the views of those living within a free society. Without utilizing resistance showing distaste for policies becomes virtually impossible and yet by using violence chaos reigns. Many times throughout history violence has been used to show disfavor and where violence was used violence was returned. However where peaceful protests have occurred violence has also been shown, for example the march on Selma in 1965 violence was shown to those walking peacefully. The ability to protest is a fundamental right for members of free society, without it the government would become tyrannical.
Protests, civil disobedience, boycotts, economic and political noncooperation, and satyagraha; these are all common forms of peaceful resistance which has a dominantly negative impact on society since they are dangerous, they hurt business, and they are unnecessary..
I strongly believe that peaceful resistance has a positive influence on societies of all kinds. It is resistance and disobedience that play the biggest part in making the world a better place. This can be seen numerous times throughout the course of history. In free, democratic societies, peaceful resistance can have an even greater role in terms of its impact because democracy and freedom depend on that. As human beings, we admire change.