Peaceful resistance has a great impact on society. Over history it has been seen many times, times that are still talked about today. People have become famous because they stand up for what they believe in and what they believe is right, for example Rosa Parks, she did not believe it was right for her to have to move for a white person, why should she have to? All people were created equally and meant to, if at least co-exsist.Peaceful resistance can turn into something that is not very peaceful, people can get angry at the person, as a result of them getting angry the one said to be peacefully resisting may begin to get angry as well. Another example that impacted millions of people around the United States of America, is Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, he rallied with his fellow …show more content…
In a sense all of these example have related to each other they fought for something, they ended up changing the way society thinks, they got what they fought for. Many may say peaceful resistance to laws has a negative impact on free society, but one may disagree, it has a wonderful impact, it creates a more diverse community. The things that are pointed out and said are beautiful, it creates more of a free society because all of the examples mentioned above were fighting for the same exact thing, freedom. The free society that is created when people get past the fact that everyone is different, is truly amazing, many may not understand the unjust things that were done to many, and why they had to do what they did, but if you want something you have to fight for it, fight for what you believe in, and what you want. The free society that many long to live in, is not here yet, there is still discrimination everywhere today, there are prejudices, even if you may not
Peaceful resistance to laws positively impact a free society because if there isn't, how will people hear the voices of the oppressed and mistreated? Peaceful resistance comes a long way in trying to advance the rights and customs of the oppressed today. For example, The Salt March of 1930 was based on the Salt Act of 1882, which excluded the people the India from producing or getting salt, only British officials. Mahatma Gandhi was the leader of this protest. According to an article by time.com, it says that "The protest continued until Gandhi was granted bargaining rights at a negotiation in London. India didn’t see freedom until 1947, but the salt satyagraha (his brand of civil disobedience) established Gandhi as a force to be reckoned with and set a powerful precedent for future nonviolent protestors, including Martin Luther King Jr.(Sarah Begley,2015)" This means the salt march was a start for India's independence. Also, Gandhi's brand of civil disobedience set precedents for future nonviolent protests. Another Example of how peaceful protests
Gandhi once said “An eye for an eye and the whole world is blind.” This is true in most circumstances but there are exceptions. By comparing acts of nonviolent civil disobedience with acts of violent civil disobedience it is apparent that force or violence is only necessary to combat violence but never if it effects the lives of the innocent. A recurrent theme in each of these examples is that there is a genuine desire to achieve equality and liberty. However, one cannot take away the liberties of others in order to gain their own. Martin Luther King Jr. believed that political change would come faster through nonviolent methods and one can not argue his results as many of the Jim Crow laws were repealed. Similarly, through nonviolent resistance Gandhi was able to eventually free India from the rule of Britain. It is true that sometimes the only way to fight violence is through violence, but as is apparent, much can be said of peaceful demonstrations in order to enact change. Thus, it is the responsibility of we as individuals to understand that nonviolence is often a more viable means to an end than violence.
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.
Another example of the power of words bringing change to large communities is President John Fitzgerald Kennedy’s inaugural speech in 1961. In one short speech JFK brought hope to a nation, flung 1960’s into a new era and told the world that America would not back down when it came to the protection of their people and borders. The speech was so successful that it is still seen as the benchmark for presidential inaugural speeches over 50 years later. For these men, delivery and content were key to their achievements, they were used with such success that these men changed the world for the better.
Often times, individuals are not aware that the actions that they take will make a significant impact on the communities around them. This is relevant to people in modern day society as well as people in years passed. Some individuals may even go to the extremes and devote their own lives to improving the lives of others, which was what civil rights activists Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X did. Their actions have severely impacted society in a way that they are still shaping the lives of people today. Although Nelson Mandela and Malcolm X have different experiences in terms of their imprisonments, they are similar in their involvements in the Civil Rights Movement and their long term impacts on society.
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
I am inspired by Martin Luther King Jr. in my answer to the original question. A peaceful resistance can make a positive impact on society when a law “degrades human personality”. One must disobey a law that is “not square with the law of moral”. Resist a government that sets laws to take the freedom of groups and individuals, that causes harm and chaos, and does not “cherish the minority”.One must follow suit of our past leaders of change and make a positive impact, they must peacefully
History, as Karl Marx suggest, is defined by human suffering. When a man is oppressed, his natural recours is rebellion. Most ost restiance movements of the past incorporated violenve. Violence has been a mean to an end for centurys. Even today our lives are chronicled through violence and human suffering. However, a paradox ensues when revolutionaries use violence to free themselves from oppression, as a mean to an end. By replacing violence with violence, you are only contuining a destructive cycle that can in no way liberate everybody. It oppresses the oppressor and depresses the depressed. Martin Luther King jr. sought to remedy this unhealthy cycle by prescribing a new approach to rebellion. Not only did he inspire millions to resist their human condition, he did so without resorting to violence. Through his pragmatic and ethical approach to civil rights reform, Martin Luther became a revolutionary revolutionist.
Violent resistance is resistance that does not revolve around events such as sit-ins and petitions. Violent resistance is most effective because, unlike the method of non-violence, it gathers a more drastic and immediate response from other involved parties. I have seen how effective violent resistance is through our lessons by observing how the majority of my classmates have continuously sided with violent resistance. Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael both understood the need to use violent resistance; Malcolm X committed many petty crimes and eventually was imprisoned. While in prison, he decided to join the Nation of Islam, a group that integrated the religion Islam into Black Nationalism. He quickly moved up the ranks in the Nation of Islam
The first of which I would like to talk about is Cesar Chavez. Cesar Chavez was a Mexican-American civil rights activist responsible for the creation of the National Farm Workers Association later to be known as the United Farm Workers. Chavez realized that the Mexican-American labor force was being highly abused by large plantation owners. Chavez knew that the only way for large farm owners to pay their workers a higher wage would be to create a labor union. Chavez managed to create and sustain the National Farm Workers Association and raise to wages of his fellow friends and coworkers. Chavez was able to achieve this feat through several boycotts, strikes and fasting. Cesar even fasted for 36 days at the age of 61 for an event he called “Fast for Life” where he aimed to gain awareness of the harmful impacts of pesticides on farmers and their families. Cesar Chavez never hurt anyone in his protests and was able to at long last create a union for the Mexican-American workers who were being exploited by wealthy plantation owners. The second great leader and nonviolence promoter that changed society through non-violence is Mahatma Gandhi. Gandhi was born in a Hindu merchant caste family in coastal Gujarat. He first started applying the nonviolent tactics for social changes in South Africa, where he aided Indian’s in human rights affairs. He then returned to India in 1915 and was part of many social changes that occurred. Gandhi assumed leadership of the Indian National Congress and led nationwide campaigns against poverty, disease and crime. He continued to fight for India and Indian rights until he was shot three times by a Hindu nationalist in 1948. Despite the usually horrid outcomes of those who are most influential, Mahatma Gandhi helped India to climb out of many holes and devoted his life to
Therefore, fighting against oppression impacts society in a positive way. Throughout history, the majority of the time, civil disobedience has only shaped the world we live in today. For instance, Martin Luther King Jr. was protesting for equality among all citizens. Another individual that opposed oppression was Mahatma Gandhi who also disobeyed the law for a great cause which was the Salt March. One of the major civil disobedience that has changed the world and ignited a new era is the Boston Tea Party because it leads citizens to believe that they could stand up to the tyranny of Great Britain.
" Muhammad Ali is a prime example of civil disobedience and peaceful resistance being used to oppose the government's wishes. He knew exactly what he was doing, and didn't care about the consequences because he felt that the reward was greater than the consequences. He valued civil rights and opposing the governments over his own personal venue. A free society, by definition, requires people to be free of government control or oppression, to pursue their
Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts society because it falls under our right as Americans to free speech and it benefits our country in the future. Freedom of speech was one of the founding ideas of the United States government and for good reason. While being controlled by Britain, Americans didn't have freedom of speech or any control over their government, which is the reason why free speech was put into the Constitution. Free speech gives minorities the right to share their opinion without fearing that the government will intervene. As long as it's peaceful and no one is getting hurt in the resistance, resisting the laws can be an amazing opportunity for our country to become better than it already is.
More violent forms of resistance often lead to questions like,”does the end justify the means?”, but these are questions people like Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi never had to ask themselves. These men chose to set an example of unwavering morality so powerful it has inspired the world for decades. In fact, I believe that their choice to use the moral high ground as a tool for change in itself not only legitimized their own movements, but also lead to future operations being operated in similarly peaceful and conscientious ways. This influence has likely even been a cause for the way protests were handled after the results of the 2016 U.S. presidential election were decided. The majority of all such protests have been peaceful, and no matter which side one supports, non confrontational movements are in the best interest of the entirety of the
Peaceful resistance towards the laws enacted by our leaders is the way we, the people, let our voices ring. Without peaceful resistance, we would not be a free society. A free society is one in which people can be the change. When we cannot stand up to those who rule, we are not free.