Why Do You Agree With Civil Disobedience?

The famous quote “The enemy of my enemy is my friend” has united many under the common thread of a common threat. In fact, the United States of America was born in a time of rebellion against Great Britain's oppression. Through peaceful resistance, the colonists came together to throw crates of tea harbors and wrote pamphlets of dissent against the crown in an effort for revolution. The history of the United States is rich with civil disobedience, a term coined by David Henry Thoreau, which gives citizens a chance to refuse and resist the government when it becomes power hungry or ineffective. As such, victory over the British did not make the founders of the Constitution lose sight of their goal: to ensure each citizen the right to petition

The city is alive with people of different cultures and worlds all coexisting side by side. Immigrants especially are an integral part of not only New York City but the country of the United States. They work hard, dream big, and want better opportunities for themselves just as any other Americans would. However, their lives are not without conflict. Immigrants today still face racial tensions, persecution of religion, and stereotypes, even from the president. The New York Times’ report on President Trump’s executive order barring people from Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Syria from entering the country for 90 days has shaken many residents from those countries. In response, hundreds of bodegas run by Yemeni owners have shut down as a peaceful but powerful message to Trump. Together they stand as a union against an unfair statute targeting specific groups such as themselves. The bodega owners’ act of opposition shows the large community of immigrants pursuing their happiness through their businesses and their commitment to ensure the sanctity of the free society they came from Yemen to live in. Through their protest, they hope to remind the American citizens and president that there are more similarities between them than differences. Free society prospers because the rights of the Constitution are upheld righteously. These rights are not for leaders to pick and choose which groups deserve to receive them. They should be ensured for people who worked hard to come to America, not only natural citizens, to reach their full