...Peaceful resistance positively impacts the free society in which we live. Through peaceful resistance, one can express their views without the violence or uproar that often comes with it. It has solved many fundamental problems in the US government. Henry David Thoreau expressed his distaste for the Mexican-American war by refusing to pay his poll taxes. He did not believe in no government, did not want to start an uprise, or create an anarchy but instead create a more just government. Thoreau wanted a government in which protected its people and was fair to all. He also opposed slavery and wanted equal rights for all. “There is but little virtue in the action of masses of men. When the majority shall at length vote for the abolition...
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...Peaceful resistance to laws for the benefit of the greater good have a positive impact on free society. Even in a democracy, when necessary, peaceful resistance holds the government accountable. Sometimes laws are legally right but morally wrong. Yet, the government appears stronger than individuals, and peaceful resistance is the only way to restore the balance of power to achieve social justice. While it is a not always successful in accomplishing its initial goal, peaceful resistance draws attention to the issue, changes the hearts and minds of others, and potentially creates a real change in the long-term. Civil disobedience is a not a recent concept, since it has been used throughout history, from the Plebeians protest at the Sacred...
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...Peaceful resistance to laws is a positive thing for a free society. It is important that we as free peoples are able to let our governments know that we don't like what they're doing. The peaceful protests in Portland, Oregon, that have been marred by anarchists taking advantage of the civil discourse, are to let the people of the United States know that they are not okay with what is going on. It's akin to what Mohammed Ali did in the 1960's, He let the government know that He was not being represented by them in a way he agreed with. The government in most free societies today are based on the quintessential prospect of being "for the people". If some would wish to say something about the founders of the United States all one must say back is that we were founded by revolutionaries. If they had lost the war then they would have been called traitors and conspirators in our history. The fought for their rights and for their ideas, why should the people now be prevented from doing so peacefully? We have the right to freely assemble, to speak freely, and our oft cited Founding father Thomas Jefferson believes that the people have the right to take the government apart and rebuild it as they see fit. If people in the United states weren't allowed to advocate for their rights outside a courtroom or congressional hall then people...
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...Peaceful Resistance Throughout the history of America, there have been many peaceful and violent resistances to laws that people did not agree with. Events like the Woman’s Suffrage, the Civil Rights Movement, and the Boston Tea Party are some of the most popular protests in American history. Though not all always work, peaceful resistance to laws have a positive impact on the society and the people in it. In a society, the government’s goal is to protect and serve to people in that society. With that comes making laws to try and accomplish the protection and service of the people. But as it is in any society, there will be people that are going to disagree with some of those laws. For example, the Civil Rights Movement in 1954 was a peaceful protest that ended up being very positive for the community. “The outcome was a landmark for black equality that initiated Civil Rights Movement.” (Bill of Rights Institute) The Civil Rights Movement gave the entire black community equal rights, which had a positive impact on them and the rest of the community because it brought people closer to each other and there was much less segregation between people. There has to be a balance between the government’s contribution to laws and the society’s contribution to laws. “If...
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...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...
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...crafted the constitution, they intended our government to preserve safety, to ensure liberty, and to promote peace. However, as Thoreau stated in Civil Disobedience, “most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes inexpedient.” Government, and the democratic system, is not always the most effective way to ensure justice to all. Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society because it gives a voice to the minority, provides the people with an ultimate check on government, and allows for a morality based society. In a democratic country, the majority wields the bulk of the political power. Since democracy literally means rule of the many, the largest group controls the system. According to...
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...in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Vietnam, and more. Blood is shed for a cause that the government deems worthy, though we will not shed it for what “we the people” believe on the home front. Or do we? Quite often through the peaceful resistance that is so common here, violence is the product of men and women’s strife: during the Boston Tea Party, the March From Selma in Alabama, the resistance in China’s Tiananmen Square, during the first spark of the Women’s Movement in the U.S. and abroad during the First World War, more recently the Black Lives Matter protests in Dallas, or anti-Trump protests in America’s big cities. Regardless of intentions, a great many public resistances turn violent. Therefore, it can be reasonably claimed that peaceful resistance is a false term. Resistance in any form has a negative impact on a free society due to the chaos it ensues, yet it is necessary considering the change it inspires to overcome oppressors. There is no such thing as peaceful resistance. In a direct resistance, like the ones we have seen in the past, such as the...
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...lawlessness. Peaceful resistance to unjust laws is needed in order expose and call attention to laws that are unjust and therefore positively impacts society. The resistance must be peaceful or many may be unwilling...
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...America has been built on resistance, both peaceful and violent. Combinations of the two have been present whenever resistance is happening. Peaceful resistance is seen as the most honorable; it has been responsible for not only the civil rights of people of color but also the civil rights of the LGBTQ+ community. Peaceful resistance contributes both positively and negatively to a free society, as seen in The United States of America. Peaceful resistance has given to America the opportunity for everyone to vote, everyone to go to school, and everyone to be in a relationship. Peaceful resistance has to be done correctly, which Martin Luther King Jr. understood. “In fact, violence merely increases hate. So it goes. Returning violence multiplies violence, adding deeper darkness to...
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...I believe peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society. Although, some people take that to far and then it turns into violence, and they deserve punishment. Those who keep there actions against a law peaceful, should not necessarily be punished in my view. What should happen is that the government takes note of the actions and find ways to consider re-thinking that law. For example, when Rosa Parks took a stand against racial segregation, she was immediately arrested. It wasn't until after boycotting took place, that segregation laws were looked into and was considered to be changed. The government did the right thing to look into it after those events. In the end, a number of people became more free than they were before....
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...“Congress shall make no law… prohibiting… the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” These words from the first amendment of the constitution, ratified in 1791, were beautifully written by James Madison to demonstrate the American ideal of a government that must reflect the people it governs. After all, many American people protested in various ways against the British government just a decade earlier because they did not have fair representation. Peaceful resistance has often been the source of social and political change and has historically represented people who feel that their voice is not being heard. Therefore, civil disobedience positively impacts a free society because...
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...Peaceful resistance has been evident throughout history. It has played large roles in the foundation and development of many countries, the United States being a key example. The growth shown through peaceful movements that protest oppressive laws and views has been beneficial to society as a whole; led by the views and actions of people like Martin Luther King Jr., Henry David Thoreau, and Ghandi. When a country claims to be free, certain natural liberties are implied. One can assume that they would have a certain degree of involvement in their government, and if they cannot speak out about what they might see as a corrupt ruling, one might begin to question the legitimacy behind the so called "freedom" that they are supposedly granted. Peaceful resistance allows a person's values and opinions to be heard in an orderly manner. When someone presents their views in a calm and respectful way, the opposing side will be more willing to listen to what they have to say. Growing up children are often told to treat others how they want to be treated. Acting out peacefully shows that you want to be treated with grace and respect too. This goes for the opposite as well. Acting out violently and irrationally would produce a harsh reaction from your counterpart....
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...no principled distinction between civil disobedience and mere lawlessness” (“The Documents of Freedom”). Peaceful resistance does positively impact a free society. Take Gandhi for example, he non-violently protested the registration law, through non-violent marches and labor strikes, all harmless, and in support of those who were treated unequally by the registration law, “The Boer government then agreed to end the most objectionable parts of the...
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...Henry Thoreau wrote “Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.”(Thoreau) Thoreau’s wisdom applies to us today. Our government’s ability to disrupt our lives has never been stronger. Against such a government, non-violent resistance makes a positive impact to our society. Peaceful civil resistance boldly shows injustice, gives courage to the oppressed, and changes the course of history. Thoreau believed a person must live free. Free to their conscience, regardless of the consequences. One current threat to our freedoms is the government’s unlawful spying on its citizens. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, the US government gave great power to various spy agencies to gather information on millions of US Citizens. Phone records, and online records were secretly gathered and stored without warrant, and without probable cause. A young analyst Edward Snowden working for the National Security Agency (NSA) exposed to the world the actions of the US Government. He did this in a peaceful way. He didn’t expose any algorithms that the...
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...I believe that peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society. It allows conscience and morals to govern a free society and allows for a country to positively evolve. The founding fathers created the United States through a revolution, standing against the injustice of the British towards them. The birth of our nation serves as an example of why peaceful resistance is important maintaining an effective and moral government. Civil disobedience allows conscience and morals to govern a free society, not the ideals of the majority. As Thoreau stated in his essay, Civil Disobedience, “a majority are permitted…to rule…not because they are most likely to be right, nor because this seems fairest to the minority, but because they are...
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