...Do You Hear People Sing? — A Brief Analysis of Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience Abstract: Civil disobedience is the valuable spiritual wealth of American spirits. From Henry David Thoreau to Martin Luther King, civil disobedience theory also had developed into a new stage. American people began to commonly accept and practice the civil disobedience theory, which pushed American Civil Rights Movement forward. This essay focuses on the origination of the civil disobedience and briefly introduces its development. Key Words: Civil disobedience Conscience Government 1、 Thoreau’s Imprisonment The Mexican-American war, which started from 1846, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico over the territorial dispute of Texas. Most abolitionists and transcendentalists were against this war, because they thought that this war was an act of a bullying government anxious to grab land from a weaker nation. Some even thought this war was a conspiracy of the southern slaveholders. Then Texas admitted slavery, while Mexico forbade slavery. They regarded this war as the expansion of slavery, which could strengthen the influence of the south in federation. Therefore the abolitionists and transcendentalists did their best to resist this war. Among them, Henry David Thoreau was a famous representative. Thoreau did not agree this aggressive war. To resist, he refused to pay the Massachusetts poll tax, which was a “per head” tax imposed on...
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...It is sometimes necessary for people to fight the unjust laws of a government; but, to combat an authority does not inevitably imply violent revolution. The French author Victor Hugo once wrote, “An invasion of armies can be resisted; an invasion of ideas cannot be resisted,” (“The History of a Crime”); while taking up arms can eventually become the only solution to a dire situation, many times all that is required to capture the heart of a nation is an invasion of ideas. Throughout history, many men and women have decided to fight the injustice of governments with armies of ideas and principles. Rather than resort to violence, they chose the path of civil disobedience. Peacefully, they protested against unfair, discriminatory, and prejudiced regulations; many purposefully broke laws, fully accepting the consequences. This civil disobedience is not only absolutely necessary in a free society, but the actions of people like our founding fathers, various equal rights activists, and modern fair wage protesters have benefited culture in countless ways. In 1772, John Adams said, “Liberty, under every conceivable form of government, is always in danger…the only maxim of a free government ought to be to...
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...Negative nonviolence includes non-cooperation, civil disobedience, breaking unjust laws, declaring and practising autonomy. And positive nonviolence includes clearing the past through conciliation, the present through mediation of dangerous conflicts, and building a future through equitable participation in positive projects. They are not mutually exclusive. Gandhi and Martin Luther King used both. Obviously, both forms refrain from direct physical violence. But negative nonviolence may include symbolic violence like “rude gestures, taunting, haunting officials” (from Gene Sharp’s “The Politics of Nonviolent Action”. Sharp deserves credit for his outstanding work to make such techniques well known -but is it nonviolence?). By contrast, positive nonviolence insists on nonviolent speech and thought, something beyond the psychological capacity of many. How can I be against them and for them at the same time?Yet there is a fifth form of nonviolence, developed by...
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...There are many reasons why peaceful resistance positively impacts a free society.Although many view that opposing civil disobedience is absolutely disastrous, many incidents have led to more preferable conditions in our society such as the Rosa Parks bus boycott incident, women’s suffrage movement, and Gandhi’s opposition to the British rule. One of the most memorable acts regarding civil disobedience is the Rosa Parks bus boycott incident. What happened on December 1st, 1955 was a historical moment that screamed equality for all. One afternoon in Montgomery, Alabama, a middle-aged African American woman named Rosa Parks had wanted to return home from work, so she rode a bus for transportation. Seeing a full bus, a white passenger walked...
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...America through the American Revolution. The fourth of July is a day in which every American celebrates his or her independence; through the actions of the Sons of liberty, this became possible. The Sons of Liberty was a group of likeminded colonists who believed that the thirteen American colonies should no longer be a part of Great Britain. Through a combination of organized protests against wrongful taxation, the Sons of Liberty established America’s freedom. A strong rebellion created and nourished by the Sons of Liberty in 18th century America represents one of the greatest achievements of civil disobedience. The group of shopkeepers, rebels, and artisans met in the Summer of 1965 to discuss the problems with the recently imposed Stamp Act and Sugar Act. The Stamp Act required that paper products used in the colonies, such as...
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...grants citizens with various rights. Amendment I allows the American people to protest against the government if they feel like it is taking away their rights to religion, the free exercise of their religion, freedom of speech, and the press. The dissatisfaction of the government led to numerous cases of civil disobedience. Peaceful resistance can be demonstrated throughout the various protests in America, such as the Boston Tea Party, women’s suffrage movement, and the African-American Civil Rights Movement, which positively impacted the free society. The beginnings...
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...UNIVERSITY SAN ANTONIO CAMPUS CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE AND CHRISTIAN ETHICS A RESEARCH PROJECT SUBMITTED TO DR. JOHN M. ANDREWARTHA IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR BASIC CHRISTIAN ETHICS RLGN 5323 SUBMITTED BY ROBERT L. JOHNSON April 14, 2008 Table of Contents Introduction…………………………………………………………………….……....1 Part I: Definition of Civil Disobedience………………………………………..….…..1 Part II: Definition of Christian Ethics…………..……………………………….……..1 Part III: Biblical and Historical Practice of Civic Responsibility.……………………..2 Part IV: The Rise of Political Power in the Church and the Struggles Associated…….7 Part V: The Necessity for Civil Disobedience..………………………………………..9 Part VI: What Difference Did the Civil Rights Struggle Make? ..................................12 Conclusion…....................................................................................................................16 Bibliography…………………………………………………………………………….18 INTRODUCTION This research will focus on the topic of “Civil Disobedience and its Relativity to Christian Ethics.” The research will address whether it is ever justifiable to disobey the laws of secular governments. In doing so, it will discuss the Doctrine of Civic Responsibility as it relates to Christian Ethics. Furthermore, Romans 13:1-7 will be referenced to provide additional insight into how the Church has historically responded to civil government’s demands on society...
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...TomMendez Hacktivism and Civil Disobedience Hacktivism, though preferred by hackers and hacktivists to be kept without a definition, is generally thought of as hacking for a political cause. Hackers, those who have deep knowledge and understanding of the Internet and computer systems and networks, thrive on the openness and freedom the internet provides. Steven Levy’s “Hackers: Heroes of the Computer Revolution” published nearly three decades ago outlines the hacker’s creeds: 1. Access to computers should be unlimited and total. 2. All information should be free. 3. Mistrust authority – promote decentralization. 4. Hackers should be judged by their hacking not bogus criteria such as degrees, age, race, or position. 5. You create art and beauty on a computer. 6. Computers can change your life for the better. The operating system Linux, still widely used today, was created to conform to this ethical code. Linux pioneer Richard Stallman with the help of Linus Torvalds developed the GNU/Linux operating system. The software was made available under the General Public License, nicknamed “copyleft” (as opposed to copyright), meaning that the software was free to have and modify for anyone so long as users make the source freely available to others. This has created an open global community that “thrives on the free flow and sharing of information” (metac0m 1). Metac0m, the editor of The Hacktivist Magazine tells us “Hackers abhor censorship. Censorship...
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...colonized the area that would become known as United States of America. First there was the Asian nomads, who would become known as the American Indians. Europeans would be the next to colonize America, but this would be a few thousand years later, First there was the Spanish, followed by the French, and last but not least the British.(Muntone, 2011, p. 3) It was 1607 that the British founded the original colony in Jamestown, Virginia . It was the British intention from the beginning to colonize the Americas for the expansion of the British Empire. This new settlement in Jamestown would allow for the people of Jamestown to send back natural resources to England for the benefit of the mother country. These new colonies that began across North America were all British subjects or under control of the British. The Definition of Colonialism basically means when a country rules over a territory outside their own with citizens of the original Country. Another example would be when you create an empire by expanding into a region by dominance, both examples refer directly to the British in and how they treated the Native Americans.("Difference Between," 2011, p. 1) As the new settlers came to the new world there wasn’t much thought given to the Natives that currently lived there. Native Americans A good example of English relationships with the Native Americans would be Jamestown. After the settlement of Jamestown was established, the local tribe of Indians known as the Algonquian people...
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...Ryan (howard@netwood.net) Preface 2 Part I 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Problems of Nonviolent Theory Nonviolent Philosophy 6 Moral View: Violence Itself Is Wrong 9 Practical View: Violence Begets Violence 13 Nonviolent Theory of Power 21 Voluntary Suffering 24 Common Nonviolent Arguments 34 A Class Perspective 49 Part II 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Gandhi: A Critical History Father of Nonviolence 56 Satyagraha in South Africa 59 Textile Strike 66 Noncooperation Movement 1919-22 70 Religious Conflicts 80 Salt Satyagraha 87 Congress Ministries 97 The War Years 101 Independence and Bloodshed 111 Part III 17 18 19 20 Nonviolence in the Anti-Nuclear Movement Nonviolent Direct Action 120 Consensus Decision Making 123 Open, Friendly, and Respectful 136 Civil Disobedience 142 Epilogue 151 Notes 154 ©2002 by Howard Ryan. All rights reserved. Readers have my permission to use and distribute for non-profit and educational purposes. Critique of Nonviolent Politics 2 Preface (2002) Critique of Nonviolent Politics may be the only comprehensive critique of nonviolent theory that has been written. I wrote it between 1980 and 1984, while living in Berkeley, California. Since 1977, I had been active in the movement against nuclear power and weapons which, in California, focused its protests at the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Plant near San Luis Obispo, and at the University of California's Lawrence Livermore Labs where nuclear weapons are designed. Nonviolence was the prevailing political theory in the movement...
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...- 2 – The LD File Civil Disobedience Index Topic Overview 3-7 Definitions 8-10 Affirmative Cases 11-19 Negative Cases 20-25 Affirmative Extensions 26-34 Civil disobedience worked to free India. 26 Civil disobedience overthrew the communists in Poland. 26 The tradition of civil disobedience in America goes all the way back to the founders. 26 Civil disobedience can serve to prevent situations from escalating into violence. 27 Civil Disobedience has been used to promote peace. 27 Civil disobedience was used to promote racial equality. 27 Civil disobedience is used to try to prevent the destruction of the environment. 27 Civil disobedience is effective at changing the law. 28 Legal channels can take too long. 28 Consent to obey just laws does not imply consent to obey unjust ones. 28 Distinguishing between just and unjust laws to disobey can be universalized. 28 Civil disobedience can be stabilizing to a community by spreading a shared sense of justice. 29 Sometimes it is only the unjustified response to civil disobedience that has harmful consequence. 29 Civil disobedience is traditionally non-violent. 29 Civil disobedience is a form of exercising free speech- which is essential in a democracy. 30 Civil disobedience has been used to fight slave laws 30 Civil disobedience played a role in ending the Vietnam war. 30 Civil disobedience shouldn’t be punished-...
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...The American, French, and the Haitian revolutions, which ranged from 1750 to 1914, can all be traced back to the same origins, the enlightenment thinkers. The ideas of natural rights, a social contract between the government and the people, separation of powers, checks and balances, and maybe the most important idea of them all, revolution all came from thinkers such as John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, Voltaire, Baron de Montesquieu, and Jean Jacque. But, although they might’ve had the same beginning that doesn’t mean their course of action was the same. The French Revolution, 1789-1815, the American Revolution, 1776-1783, and the Haitian Revolution, 1810-1825, might have all had the inspiration from the enlightenment thinkers, but their tack ticks...
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...the colonists were privately funded with endorsement by the British government. The Idea of colonization was to establish settlements for the purpose of expanding a trade base for economic purposes. Britain colonized North America basically because they had a limited amount of land and natural resources, North America presented a great opportunity to expand their land holdings and create a source for raw materials. Britain still considered the colonists to be British citizens and therefore were expected to abide by rules and laws established by Britain for the colonists. Britain exerted tight control of the colonists through laws and acts that were specifically designed for the benefit of Britain. The needs of Britain were always put first before the needs of the colonists. Acts and taxes were put in place as a means to control trade and make sure that monetary items were received by Britain. The economic cycle was one of Britain obtained raw materials cheaply from the colonies, the goods were finished in England and sold back to the colonists for large profits. The colonies in North America were strictly established for the economic benefit of Britain. Also there was great prestige in this era that came from global expansion. (“British Colonization of the Americas” n.d.) Part A1 The indigenous people of North America reacted initially with skepticism and reluctant acceptance. The acceptance eventually turned into rebellion, skirmishes and all-out war, when they realized that...
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...Political Movements in the 20th Century HUM/300 Political Movements in the 20th Century During the 20th century several major political events took place that changed the worldwide view of civilization and shook up the collective consciousness. World War I and II showed the dark side of technology when used to hurt humanity. Civil movements surged around the world as a result of minorities trying to regain their identity, which various governments throughout the world restricted. The authors will examine major political events that had a notable effect on the 20th century, including, the influences of World War I and II, the surge of the Civil Rights Movement, and the Gender Equality Movement. The author’s examination will consider the works of artists and how his or her creative expression reflected the mood of the era. Political Events: World War I and II World War I (WWI) started in 1914, and lasted through 1918. The political event that triggered this war was the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The war tactics employed in World War I changed the methods and strategies in future conflicts bringing more devastation. Some of the new strategies included trench warfare, chemical warfare, and upgraded technology; it introduced chemical weapons including chlorine and phosgene, which produced devastating damages. The exposure to high levels of these gases resulted in temporary blindness, difficulty...
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...In the spring of 1832, a free, young African American woman, Maria W. Miller Stewart, rose to address a Boston audience. During the next three years, Stewart made a total of four public addresses, published a political pamphlet and a collection of meditations, and then retired deliberately from the public stage, seemingly defeated by the obstacles arrayed against her as both an African American and a female speaker.[1] Some critics give Stewart credit as the first American-born woman to deliver a public address before what was then called a "promiscuous" audience, one composed of both men and women.[2] It is more likely that Deborah Sampson Gannett, who disguised herself as a male soldier to serve in the American Revolution and subsequently...
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