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Essays on nonviolent resistance best means of effecting changes in a society
Essays on nonviolent resistance best means of effecting changes in a society
Essay on what is civil disobedience
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Civil Disobedience is one using their freedom to express how they feel. How could it negatively impact a free society, when society is the thing that gave them the freedom to peacefully resist. It is only when the people’s reaction to peaceful resistance becomes violent does it begin to negatively impact a free society. When the Freedom Riders choose to peacefully protest by riding the buses, they made a statement. They did not want to fight with the hands, but rather with their actions. Even when the were met with cruel violence in Alabama, they continued to remain peaceful, and chose not strike back. This showed the world that peaceful resistance was possible, and it’s impact of society only depended on how people reacted to it. Peaceful resistance is not the problem. It is the violence that seems to follow it after. The government seems to turn a blind eye. Henry David Thoreau quotes in his famous paper “Civil Disobedience” claims, "But, to speak practically and as a citizen, unlike those who call themselves no-government men, I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government.” In order to for people to see that peaceful resistance is a positive thing, our government has to contain the violence that threatens them. People have to stop seeing the negative, in order for it to have a positive impact.
The march of Selma is one of the most noteable peaceful resistances. He did not do it because he wished for violence, but because there was great injustice happening and he could not sit by and watch it. From his letter in jail, he writes, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to Justice everywhere.” A fight would have gotten him nowhere. People would have simply focused on the violence and negativity he was bringing. Because he used a peaceful form of resistance, the world was able to focus on that. They reacted to the violence of the people against the movement, but they did so in a way that rallied
Civil Disobedience, as stated in the prompt, is the act of opposing a law one considers unjust and peacefully disobeying it while accepting the consequences. Many people believe this has a negative impact on the free society because they believe civil disobedience can be dangerous or harmful. Civil disobedience does not negatively affect the free society in a dangerous manner because it is peaceful and once it becomes harmful to the free society then it is not civil disobedience. Thoreau believed civil disobedience is an effective way of changing laws that are unjust or changing things that as a society and to the people does not seem correct. This peaceful act of resistance positively impacts a free society. Some examples are Muhammad Ali peacefully denying the draft and getting arrested. These men believed that what they saw was wrong and they did something about it but they did it peacefully.
As Dr. King stated in Letter from A Birmingham Jail, “Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. I must confess that I am not afraid of the word, tension. I have earnestly worked and preached against violent tension, but there is a type of constructive tension that is necessary for growth. The purpose of direct action is to create a situation so crisis-packed that it will inevitably open the door to negotiation.” Such as in the case of the 1969 student site-in against the Vietnam W...
Peaceful resistance to laws almost always initiates a demand for laws to be addressed and changed, in hopes of creating a positive outcome with more freedom for the people of the United States of America. In Rosa Parks’ case, her courageous decision to peaceably resist the Jim Crow laws for the
Civil Disobedience occurs when an individual or group of people are in violation of the law rather than a refusal of the system as a whole. There is evidence of civil disobedience dating back to the era after Jesus was born. Jesus followers broke the laws that went against their faith. An example of this is in Acts 4:19-20,”God told the church to preach the gospel, so they defied orders to keep quiet about Jesus,” In my opinion civil disobedience will always be needed in the world. The ability to identify with yourself and knowing right from wrong helps to explain my opinion. Often in society when civil
Likewise, violent protests raise awareness in a negative and oftentimes irrational light. Following the tragic shooting of Michael Brown in the fall of 2014***, countless riots shed light on a new twist on a century-old issue; race in America. The man shot was an African-American, unarmed, young adult. He was shot by a white police officer who believed the young man to be a threat to his safety. His death became the catalyst for the modern Black Lives Matter movement’s stance on equality in American justice systems. While the movement places an emphasis on a need for change, much like Martin Luther King did in the 1960’s, the mass riots from Ferguson, Missouri to Baltimore, Maryland contradict civil disobedience. The riots caused hundreds of vandalisms, countless injuries of police officers in both cities, and created fear for the movement. Awareness for the issues were raised because of this movement, but the violent initial spark of it derailed the solid proof of the need for change. This further proves the necessity that civil disobedience is on a free society; peaceable expression of views has a heavier weight when it comes to altering the course of a
When we think of the word “Protest,” we may think of the events that have happened recently. Egypt, Turkey, Libya and other countries where citizens have come out to the streets protesting their government. Not all protesting approaches are like this. Many, throughout history, have been based around peaceful actions. This approach was used during one of the great line of protests in American history. The Civil Rights movement. Many leaders used peace to promote their cause and promoted the passing of laws such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The many leaders of this movement, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and others influenced others to join the strive for equality. One of these people that they influenced was John Lewis.
Peaceful resistance itself does not affect a free society. A people-group can protest any number of laws: voting rights, taxes, and the legality of murder. A majority of society must determine what is best for itself. If the principles of a resistance aligns with the ideals of the society, the pursuit of betterment positively impacts that
Civil disobedience is fighting for what one believes in while acting nonviolently and fairly. Whether they’re up against powerful people, like the government or a big corporation, or up against a more local power, like a school board or a small business, people protest things that go against their beliefs everyday. Civil disobedience is a way of fighting for justice without attacking those who are for things that one finds unfair. This can be found constantly in the Civil Right’s Movement. During the Civil Rights Movement, many people decided to hold nonviolent protests, sit-ins, and freedom rides to fight for equality among races. A man by the name of John Lewis was the first student to be assaulted during the Freedom Rides, a movement where people rode buses into the segregated parts of the South. The Freedom Rides were a nonviolent way to test the Supreme Court’s ruling on segregation. John Lewis and the other freedom riders showed civil disobedience when they refrained from fighting the people who attacked them during the Freedom Rides, and when they continued to ride to protest segregation in the South.
The first march wasn't what they wanted to achieve and got sent back to the bridge. The second march was when they were crossing the bridge. The police officers attacked them with stick, teargas, clubs, arrested innocent people, guns were fired, knocked people to the ground, whips, rubber tubing wrapped in barbed wire was a weapon that the police officers whipped at the marchers. The third time they went to march, they won Federal Protection and they successfully marched for their cause. King wrote to New York Times, “This is Selma, Alabama. There are more negroes in jail with me than they are on the voting rolls.” (Klein 1). The National Guard helped them on the last march. No police officers could turn them back, and they couldn't beat them in front of the National Guard. These innocent, peacefully protesting people were injured and one was shot and killed. Jimmy Lee Jackson was a 20 year old who was protecting his grandma and mom. He was struck by a club, then shot with a gun. Over 50 people were injured and hospitalized. A couple people died months later because of their injuries. These marchers were not interrupting anybody or bothering anything and the police officers had to take action. They were on the sidewalk of the highway and away from the officers and others. The officers thought they were going to do something bad so they took
Civil disobedience as a whole is often a vague conception; so what is it exactly? Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as “refusal to obey laws as a way of forcing the government to do or change something.” This is often seen as protesting. Civil disobedience occurs throughout the world; the United States, India, Hong Kong, South Africa (practiced inconsistently), Japan, and many other countries. Each country has its own laws and rights vary, but on a basic level a lot of countries have freedom of speech. One specific example is in the United States Constitution; the First Amendment states, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” This basically states that denizens of the United States have the right to protest, as well as freedom of speech and freedom...
...rom the Declaration of Independence to the civil rights movement, civil disobedience has been a great tribute to the progression of humanity in striving for equal treatments, only when it does not physically harm others, nor their properties, and also when it does not contravene an already enforced just law. Those who follow civil disobedience properly, find it necessary, like King and his followers, to endure struggle and conflict in order to correct an injustice. Those true civil disobedients find strength of non violence which comes from their willingness to take risks without threatening others, or their properties. They see civil disobedience as an attribute which can help them when law and justice don't go hand in hand. Civil disobedience when used improperly can hurt many people, however when used properly can help gain equal rights and justice for all.
There are Henry David Thoreau’s refusal to pay taxes in abhorrence of the U.S.’s institution of slavery, Mahatma Gandhi’s 240 mile walk protesting British rule and taxation over India, John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s ‘bed-ins’ against the Vietnam War, Martin Luther King Jr.’s commitment to the principle that, in his words, “the choice today is no longer between violence and nonviolence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence.” These examples range from gestures designed to bring awareness and attract popular support to actions directed pointedly against an opposing force. Not all of these protests were entirely successful, though many, such as Gandhi’s, instigated great change. It remains to be seen whether many of today’s protests, be they march, rally, traffic blockage, boycott, or something else entirely will accomplish what they wish. The real question here not whether past, present, or future protests succeed, however, for there is value in taking a stance in victory or failure. Neither is the issue truly whether the beliefs driving that stance are right or wrong- people should have the right to believe and protest what they want. By definition, civil disobedience and ‘peaceful’ protesting do not directly harm others. So in the end, does peaceful protesting positively or negatively impact society? Can it truly create positive
Depending on the situation, civil disobedience can either negatively impact or positively impact a free society. For example, the Boston Tea Party, which occurred in 1773, was a form of civil disobedience. The Boston Tea Party was a protest against having to pay taxes. A group of just over 100 people participated in this act in Boston, gathering together on ships, and protesting by simply throwing tea overboard. Hence the name, "Boston Tea Party." This act of civil obedience didn't necessarily disturb anyone's peace, but it did start a revolution, and it did cause thousands of dollars in damage, in their currency, at the time. According to the online article, "Boston Tea Party Facts," the damage that was done would be worth around $1,700,000 in today's United States currency. In that case, the Boston Tea Party in fact would have negatively impacted the "free society." Only due to the fact that it caused quite a bit of debt in their time.
Civil disobedience is an active resistance to an unjust law found in a society. This purposeful violation of a law has influenced many changes in societies throughout history and around the world. Some view civil disobedience as having a negative impact on a free society with resistances disturbing the normal order of their lives, but actually the protests are only making the world a better, more equal place for everyone living there. Civil disobedience also establishes the idea that change can take place and be effective with the absence of violence.
While in the past peaceful protests and civil disobedience may have been effective, in today’s society it is a much different story. The central reason civil disobedience was so impactful in the United States was the persistence of the protesters, and their determination that they would not be defeated until they achieved the rights they demanded. Conversely, many acts of civil disobedience do not have this quality, and thus creates more division in the nation. This belief is best summarized in a quote by President Woodrow Wilson; he goes on to say: “A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday, does not know what it is today, nor what it is trying to do.” (Leibman, 1964).