...America was founded on disobedience. What if the Revolutionary War had never happened because people didn't have the courage to disobey? Would there even be an America? If not for disobedience, would America still have slaves? If not for civil disobedience, would we still have segregation? As I ponder these questions, I come to the conclusion that resistance, particularly peaceful resistance, positively impacts a free society. Henry David Thoreau once stated, "Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?" When I think of peaceful resistance, I think of Rosa Parks, Alice Paul, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mahatma Gandhi....
Words: 590 - Pages: 3
...In the society, we as citizens of the United States live today has a duty being civil disobedience. It is the meaning of breaking a law that is to believed as immoral or unjust to a fellow citizen. Throughout the years starting from the year of 1848, the idea of civil disobedience has been progressively developing within our nation. This conception has been established by allowing Americans fulfilling their duty of civil disobedience by engaging in amicable protest and armistice demonstrations to perpetuate the injustice that is being provided. Withal, in the essay “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” written by Henry David Thoreau, the author believes that it is the citizen’s duty to practice civil disobedience to demonstrate the unjust laws that are being presented from the government. Thoreau states that the fellow citizens should demonstrate civil disobedience when it “requires you to the...
Words: 703 - Pages: 3
...destiny is shaped.” A people’s response to the edicts of their government determines the destiny of their nation. Civil disobedience is a veraciously debated topic, with most individuals choosing the position of for or against. However, they fail to recognize the arguments true nucleus, and therefore cannot properly interpret the effect of civil disobedience on a free society. The impact of civil disobedience on a free society does not lie in the act of peaceful protest itself, but rather in the law an individual chooses to defy. The right to civil disobedience is mandatory for a freestanding democratic republic to survive, but...
Words: 793 - Pages: 4
...Civil disobedience has been used throughout history, sometimes with the outcome of desired change, and others with no outcome. This protest makes an impact. It makes people think about why, and causes them to understand magnitude of ones peaceful actions. This form of protest is positive for our society. It is not harming anyone physically, and shows that people want change. Civil Disobedience directly aligns with freedom of speech and our American freedoms to have unique thoughts and opinions. In the constitution it is stated that Americans have the right to protest something that goes against their personal values, or they feel goes against the constitution. In addition, it is a major enlightenment ideal. During the formation of our country, and our Constitution, there was a time of enlightenment. France and Haiti were also going through revolutions. Many thinkers such as Adam Smith, John Locke, and even Thomas Jefferson were encouraging revolution, and governments for the people. All were backed by the ideals of protest when necessary....
Words: 530 - Pages: 3
...The act of not conforming to a system that conforms your own beliefs defines the ideas of civil disobedience. Likewise, the notion of civil disobedience is display in Henry David Thoreau’s “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience” and Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from Birmingham Jail”. The two essays express a call to action towards the reality of our honest individual thoughts. The thoughts and actions of Thoreau and King have a great influence in America today and the ideas of civil disobedience are still widely spread. Furthermore, Henry David Thoreau’s ideas of civil disobedience have become a reflection of the American citizens. He discusses the importance of civil disobedience, when it becomes necessary. For instance, “But a government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice, even as far as men understand it” (Thoreau 941). Similar to a game of chest, a government deciding to become unjust by constructing control over an apparent social division. The government unknowingly then, creates tension among the citizens. Furthermore, “I think we should be men first, and subjects afterward” (Thoreau 941). Individuals are becoming more thorough and coherent before any force...
Words: 658 - Pages: 3
...Civil disobedience is one of the oldest known forms of protesting. Henry David Thoreau felt strongly about it, dedicating a whole essay as well as spending a night in jail for paying his taxes in protest of the unjust mexican american war. Civil disobedience is a form of protesting that most likely will result in legal repercussions, thus making it a more extreme form of protesting. Thoreau wrote about Civil Disobedience and the need for it is still relevant today. In thoreau’s time period he believed more men needed to stand up for what they believed in. He tried his best in not paying his taxes because he thought that by doing so he was funding the army that was fighting an unjust war. This was the mexican american war. By not paying his taxes Thoreau ended up having to go to jail and spent a night in jail. Thoreau also stood against slavery, he believed “According to "Civil Disobedience," the symbolism of a public act of principled defiance would galvanize the nation and lead quickly to the abolition of slavery” . Thoreau opens his essay stating that "That government is best which governs least.” showing his disdain with the american government and their unethical legislature. He believed justice was only achieved...
Words: 766 - Pages: 4
...cause, and strikes are healthy to a society because they give a way for the citizens to voice their opinions to make sure their society is truly free. One of the best examples of peaceful disobedience is in the civil rights movements with Martin Luther King Jr. and his peaceful disobedience, another peaceful disobedience is with Rosa Parks in her fight for racial equality, and the marches and strikes from the Mexican American plantation workers. These examples had a positive impact on the society and helped make America as free as it is today, along with examples of peaceful protesting today for greater freedom. Martin Luther King Jr. is well known for his participation in the Civil Rights movement and has gone down in history as an example of how peaceful protesting can promote positive change. One of the ways that he did this was by writing letters from inside Birmingham jail. The letters that Martin...
Words: 667 - Pages: 3
...Ivyanne London Dr. Bryan English 2010 7 December 2012 The Bhagavad- Gita: Influence on Civil Disobedience Advocates Civil disobedience can be described as the nonviolent means of bringing about social change. The Bhagavad- Gita is a philosophical poem that attempts to ask difficult questions of universal issues that deal with the topic of civil disobedience. The messages that are told throughout the poem have had major influences on civil disobedience advocates such as Henry David Thoreau, Mahatma Gandhi, and Martin Luther King. This work offers explanations that can be applied to dilemmas that can’t be resolved with a simple form of action. According to the Theosophical Society of America, The Bhagavad- Gita, commonly known as the “Gita” has been passed back and forth between America and India through these civil disobedience activists. They each had influences on each other along with the Gita. Some reoccurring themes that may have influenced Thoreau, Gandhi, and King include questions about the right way to live, seeking higher knowledge, and how no action is still a form of action. The version of The Bhagavad- Gita that is told in The Norton Anthology of World Literature, 3rd edition, begins with the moment of crisis in Arjuna’s mind. Arjuna is the middle son of his five brothers who are apart of the Pandavas. He is apart of the warrior caste and is the most skilled and feared archer of his time. They are about to engage in war with their cousins, the Kauravas, because...
Words: 1781 - Pages: 8
...Two people who acted in similar methods when it came to civil disobedience were Martin Luther King Jr. and Bishop Desmond Tutu. Desmond Tutu was a civil rights activist in South Africa during the 1980s, while King was a civil rights activist in Alabama during the 1960’s. Both Tutu and King fought for African Americans who were treated unfairly in both South Africa and America. Tutu and King wanted to bring an end to segregation and apartheid and they felt the best way was through civil disobediences. Although they agreed the unfair treatment of African Americans needed to end, King’s approach to the topic was a lot more instructional and insistent. Tutu believed his job was not to lead people and show them how to achieve their common goal, but instead to let them know that he was on their side as well as many others....
Words: 718 - Pages: 3
...Civil disobedience is the act of refusal against laws, taxes, or demands by a government usually staying peaceful in nature. Martin Luther King Jr. and Antigone implement civil disobedience to defy unjust law; however, both approaches used to go against the wrong laws are different. Martin Luther King Jr. became the leader for the civil rights movement to put an end to segregation through civil disobedience by stressing the importance of peacefully protesting; while Antigone purposely went against the law, knowing the consequences, to follow God’s law instead of man-made law in a holy effort to bury her late brother Polyneices. Martin Luther King Jr. goes against unjust laws through civil disobedience by initiating peaceful protests. He believed that using nonviolent tactics are better at showing the immorality the unjust laws’ and calls for black people to fight the long battle against segregation. In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail”, he reveals the unjust treatment going on in Birmingham and why it is important for him to be there helping, “Actually, we who engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already...
Words: 1102 - Pages: 5
...Throughout the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the idea that Justice is a Journey prevails as a recurring theme. In both his speeches and the documentary, King demonstrates his desire for a more peaceful world where the use of violence is simply unnecessary. Although many doubted that his stance of nonviolence would be successful, the outcome of his approach was very effective. He states, “I’ve been to the mountaintop and we will get to the promised land,” which shows that this ideal world is a possibility but getting there will be a journey. Through the use of nonviolence and civil disobedience, Dr. King serves as a significant model for a strong social justice character. In each of the marches and planned protests organized by King,...
Words: 541 - Pages: 3
...Dalton Humphries Professor Breedlove English 2131 28 September 2011 The Fight against Social Injustices Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther king both stood up and fought against social injustices. Thoreau wrote his essay “Civil Disobedience” to express his views on the role of government. Thoreau also expressed his ideas about what men should do to stand up to a government that sought to suppress its citizens. King started reading Thoreau during his school years and adopted his non-violent ways of protest. He molded his actions around Thoreau’s essay and fought for equal rights for the African American community. Both authors sought peaceful means to protest against things they deemed social injustices. In Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and King’s “Letters from a Birmingham Jail” they present the problems with current societies and a peaceful way to bring those problems to the forefront. Thoreau and King both show their selflessness when they sacrificed their personal freedom for an issue. Thoreau was thrown in jail for not paying a poll tax. He refused to pay the tax because; he did not support slavery and the Mexican America war. Although Thoreau’s views in “Civil Disobedience” were his own and he was not trying to push them on anyone, they obviously had a profound impact on Martin Luther King. Writer Michael Mink of Investors Business Daily said this about King, “He was fascinated by the idea of refusing to cooperate with an evil...
Words: 928 - Pages: 4
...Civil disobedience has always been a way of protest in America for many causes. During the 1960’s, there were several protests about racial inequality. Some of these protests were violent, while others were non-violent acts of civil disobedience. One of the most memorable examples of nonviolent civil disobedience during the 60’s was the March on Selma in March of 1965 led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King and his followers planned a march to obtain civil rights for African Americans. His peaceful march was met with violence from White officials when they started to beat and kill some of the participants in the march. In today’s society, there are still several acts of civil disobedience for many issues. In July of 2016, a janitor at Yale University had his own act of civil disobedience concerning a window at the university....
Words: 615 - Pages: 3
...On balance, peaceful resistance to laws deemed unjust are provocative in nature, however, civil disobedience becomes necessary when considering how American progress did not result from inaction, but rather peaceful opposition. In other words, to sit idle and to watch the practice of unjust laws is contradictory to American values of liberty and justice. The Founding Fathers purposefully instilled civil disobedience as a crucial element to the American identity in order to protect the individual’s political beliefs. By forming this nation under one of man’s greatest creation - the Constitution - our Founding Fathers acknowledged that peaceful resistance positively impacts free society by preserving democracy and civil rights. Peaceful measures...
Words: 785 - Pages: 4
...We the students All through out moments in history, there have been instances where civil disobedience has been used. Civil disobedience is defined as the act of opposing a law one considers unjust and peacefully disobeying it while accepting the consequences. Moments where we have seen this are the Civil Rights Movement which is one of the prime examples of it. Another one would be Ghandi and what he was able to do. Now a question which might be asked constantly is whether peaceful resistance to laws positively or negatively impact a free society. I truly believe that it positively impacts a free society because of how much it changes and the paths its creates for future generations. One of the biggest examples of civil disobedience would...
Words: 782 - Pages: 4
