We value our lives in the light of our own egotism, molding our values to align with those that society holds at a given moment. Our society is predicated off of this placement of value, and the reason that there is always conflict regarding political laws and regulations is because different people interpret the dynamics within our society in unique ways. However, this is a fundamental brick that enables us to live in a "free society", and without such resistance to established laws, we would fall prey to a totalitarian government with no innovation or individual liberty. Let us consider our recent presidential campaign, with ultimately two unique candidates running in a historical race to the finish line. By many, this was considered one …show more content…
The fact that society is a vector for change, and without resistance, we cannot change. Thus, without change, we cannot have a free society. Yet you may argue that the degree of protests and riots and discontent ravaging the United States these past months caused immense damage and sectionalism, placing America in a precarious and dangerous situation. I wholeheartedly agree that this "resistance" was instrumental in the recent disintegration of political and social union across citizens in the United States. One must now take into account the various degrees of resistance and the correlation that these intensities have with their respective impacts on society. I argue that peaceful resistance, resistance that suggests change rather than demands change, is necessary to have in a free society. Otherwise, how can we truly exercise our freedom? I maintain that peaceful resistance always positively impacts a free society, whereas other forms of resistance can also damage a free society. The fact that we can stand on free soil today is because our predecessors engaged in bloody protests and forms of resistance to secure freedom for future generations. In that case, resistance did damage the previous society, one controlled by the British, and gave birth to a new flavor of
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
It has been debated though out history whether or not nonviolence “works”. Many societies, and this without question includes the United States, have mostly relied on violent tactics. Many people believe that violence is the only way to stop wars, even though it creates war, and people tend to believe that violence is the one solution to many global and political problems. However, recent literature and research is starting to prove otherwise. Erica Chenoweth, a political scientist, recently published a book, Why Civil Resistance Works in 2011. The research highlights data that shows throughout history, nonviolent tactics are more effective than violent ones in various ways.
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.
The first amendment ensures us the freedom of speech. The people of this country use that to voice their opinion on issues in our society. What the average citizen doesn’t know is that their first amendment can be revoked in terms of time, place, and the manner they are exercising it. Recently there have been many protests following homicides of black males by the hands of law enforcement. We’ve seen across the country where an officer involved shooting results in violence among the community. There are rioting, violent protests, putting other citizens at risk of either property loss or being injured, and fires that are set. We know that every agency across the US is just one-officer-involved shooting away from staring down the barrel of that
The debate between silently obeying the law and loudly resisting in the face of injustice is one that has existed since the birth of this country. Those who resist see the obedient citizens as ignorant of what goes on around them. On the other hand, those that are obedient see resistors as radicals. I believe that resistance, whether it be peaceful or violent, is justified. In this paper, I will refer to works by Frederick Douglass, Stephanie Camp, and Deborah Gray White to show that resistance is important to challenge injustices, whether it be slavery in the 1800s or inaction against racism at colleges in 2015.
The documents that seems to have been the most in influential in furthering the conservative cause seem to have a common idea throughout them. This idea that these particular documents seem to display is a refusal to play by the prescribed rules of the establishment republicans conservatives in power at the time. The conservative movement saw them as temporizers ready to contain Communism rather than roll it back, tolerate rather than terminate the New Deal, change race relations by federal edit, and accommodate labor unions. The conservative movement believed that Nixon lost to John F Kennedy in 1960 because he was too moderate which is how Barry Goldwater came onto the scene for the 1964 presidential election. Document 9 clearly describes
Despite the belief that fighting with violence is effective, civil disobedience has been tried throughout history and been successful. Fighting violence with violence leaves no oppertunity for peace to work. By refusing to fight back violently, Martin Luther King Jr. took a race of people, taught them the value of their voice, and they earned the right to vote. Henry David Thoreau presented his doctrine that no man should cooperate with laws that are unjust, but, he must be willing to accept the punishment society sets for breaking those laws, and hundreds of years later, people are still inspired by his words. Mohandas K. Gandhi lead an entire country to its freedom, using only his morals and faith to guide him, as well as those who followed him, proving that one man can make a difference. Civil disobedience is the single tool that any person can use to fight for what they want, and they will be heard. After centuries of questioning it, it appears that the pen truly is mightier than the sword.
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
Freedom remains the sole basis for American society as we know it. Without freedom the great nation of America would have never been founded. To understand the true principles of freedom, one must understand the scope of the word. Philosophical freedom encompasses the ability to make choices without restraints, while political freedom is the state of being free rather than in physical confinement. Despite the importance of these ideas to our founding fathers, freedom has lost much of its importance in modern American society. The failure to stress the importance of freedom has diminished the quality of life for the entire American populous
In the course of history, the civil rights of individuals have often been violated and reaffirmed. Documents such as the Magna Carta and the English Bill of Rights specifically sought out the inclusion of others, limitation of ruling powers, and the restitution of liberty in society and in the human spirit. When the People's right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is violated most impetuously, it is the common principle and moral duty of that People to reverse the aforementioned violation and revert back to rightful autonomy. To do this, many activists turn to civil disobedience. The issue of civil disobedience attracts two crowds of society who debate whether or not peaceful resistance impacts a society in a positive or negative
We have a lot of freedom and rights in America that sometimes take for granted. I think that these are just a few of the important rights that we have in America. Freedom of speech, free education, and freedom of religion are three of the greatest things that Americans have and could sometimes take for granted if we are not careful.
Freedom is having the right to own, act, think, and speak without any restrictions from the outside. Ever since the New World was discovered, people have been fighting for their independence till this day. People of other colors and race have been forced to do labor without their consent. Today, those same people have been blamed or accused of crimes that were not committed by them despite of being free. Freedom has different meanings and those meanings change overtime; however sometimes the significance of freedom does not change.
Power is thought to give people a leg up on one another. Power has been a key component of societies for many years. Eric Foner said, “Indian inhabitants always outnumbered European colonists and their descendants in Spanish America, and large areas remained effectively under Indian control for many years.” (Foner 24-25) Power is a way for a colony to say that they are better than others. Although power could be given in many different forms the most common was freedom or lack of freedom. Freedom is a vague term that is loose in meaning and cannot be defined in one shape or form. The Civil War and reconstruction era occurred because of the difference of opinions when it came to freedom.
Based off the list of books recommended I chose Crazy Love by Francis Chan who is a Christian and a pastor of a Church in Simi Valley, California. Trying to recreate his own view of how to view or portray ones self in the house of God. This book appealed to me because I do not consider myself a religious person. I have not been to church regularly since I was a little girl around the age of 5. I do believe there is a higher being
“Freedom.” It is a word with many different connotations, but symbolizes one central idea: Liberty. Freedom has always been deeply embedded in the history of our nation. Throughout time, many Americans have fought for freedom. From the Pilgrims, who set sail from England to the shores of Cape Cod to escape religious persecution, to the Founding Fathers of America who fought for freedom from England’s oppression, our fellow Americans have always fought for what they believed in. They gained certain freedoms that they thought would not only be important to them, but to future generations. However, it is evident that society today does not value those same freedoms.