Thomas Jefferson, the third president and author of the declaration of independence, once exclaimed, “If a law is unjust a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so.” Jefferson declares that at any cost if one finds a law wrong than it is his duty to stand against it for the common good. He implies that people should never stand idly by or blindly follow a law that is immoral only because it is the easiest way. Knowing when a protest against government is needed was also what the writers Martin Luther King, Henry David Thoreau, and Arthur Miller wanted to instruct to their readers. King was a significant activist and leader of the civil rights movement who was the cause of many amendments and progress for the rights of African Americans. His A Letter From…
Without civil disobedience it’s impossible to see where we would be today. The first act of civil disobedience was the Boston Tea Party. On December, 16, 1773 the group Sons of Liberty created a political demonstration against the Tea Act. The Tea Act was an unfair tax used to make us pay for their war. This is one of many times we were treated differently and unfairly than citizens living in Britain. The act of throwing tea into the harbor ignited tension for more people to protest and overthrow the…
Subpoint A: Civil disobedience has played an important part in the shaping of the United States. The United States is a constitutional republic, which is a not a direct democracy but a derivative of one. The Boston Tea Party is one example. It was an act of civil disobedience to protest the oppressive British government. Another example is Harriet Tubman’s Underground Railroad. Tubman illegally did the moral thing by helping many slaves get to freedom. The Women’s suffrage movement. Thousands of women braved arrest and prison to gain their democratic right of voting. The civil rights movement, the introduction of labor laws and unions, environmental demonstrations, anti-war protests, all these are examples of civil disobedience. Civil disobedience has been proved time and time again to be effective in the United States, a model for democracy.…
Author Lisa Marostica in her article, “Bloody Sunday, Women and the Collective” stresses the importance of memorializing the women, who dedicated their lives to the civil rights struggle. She does an adequate job in supporting her claim, by summarizing the lives of two incredible women, all the while illustrating the event that took place during the peak of the civil rights movement. “Bloody Sunday” on March 7, 1965, goes down in history as one of the most significant events of the civil rights movement. What was supposed to be a peaceful march from Selma to Montgomery protesting the recent shooting death of Jimmy Lee Jackson during a voter registration march in a nearby city, and the exclusion of African Americans from the voting process turned into blood and carnage. This event received media coverage from across the country. Images of women and young girls attacked for no reason could be seen across the country, on television and in written print. This day goes down in history as being one of the most significant events within the history of the civil rights movement; however, this day also portrays the impact that women made and their lifelong contributions to the civil rights movement. There were several women who worked behind the scenes, ensuring the freedom off all Americans. As emphasized by Marostica in her article, their dedication to the civil rights movement has often been overlooked. Two such women that dedicated their lives to the cause are Amelia Boynton Robinson, and Viola Liuzzo. This paper will illustrate the pivotal role that these two women played within the fight for civil rights as civil rights extended far beyond just black and white. It was more than a battle for the right to vote. It was also a battle to stop gender and racial discrimination.…
In January, 1965, approximately 350 blacks marched to the Dallas County Courthouse on Alabama Street, Selma, Alabama to register to vote, a peaceful demonstration to exercise their civil rights yet they were met with police brutality and injustices. The legendary Mahatma Gandhi quoted “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will”. Similarly, the same can be said about the will, determination, and perseverance of several civil rights activists and the people of Selma, Alabama who fought against racial injustices, segregation, and inequality to advance their cause, i.e. voting rights through moral suasion. Selma, the seat of Dallas County is located in the heart of Alabama’s black belt with a population of approximately…
The American government never thought their people would ever go against the laws they thought were fair and civil. As far back to the mid 1800’s society has always showed signs of being civil and disobedient at the same time. Until Henry David Thoreau came into the mix with a dislike of having to pay taxes on something he did not believe in. Henry knew his rights as an American and under stood his first amendment and sought action. Henry David Thoreau wrote “Civil Disobedience” during the Mexican War in 1846 a time when many people from the north thought the war was a stratagem to aid the spread of southern slavery.”Civil…
This paper will discuss what Martin Luther King Jr., Fredrick Douglass, Henry David Thoreau, and Benazir Bhutto have to say about civil disobedience; though coming from different backgrounds they still have the same views or beliefs. This will be done by looking at Martin Luther King Jr.’s work The Letter from Birmingham Jail, Fredrick Douglass’s from Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, and Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience and comparing what these authors have in common. Most of these authors, if not all, have these themes in common: understanding human rights, the relationship between just and unjust laws, and the difference between human law and a “higher law”. Martin Luther King Jr. was a civil rights…
The issues evident in our public sphere need to be immediately addressed and the public needs to be educated so as to understand what people are protesting. Through blind following of partisan politics coupled with a lack of interest in education has created a divide in the nation that must be dealt with without moderation or patience such as alluded to in the Civil Rights Movement of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s era. We must continue to exercise our right of peaceful protest so as to make the general public and our representatives aware of the massive, and growing, discontent and distrust of the American government. The discontent of the American people concerning the presidency, minority and women's rights, and immigration need to be addressed…
Civil disobedience is the refusal to obey laws in hopes of changing government laws or policies. Civil disobedience has changed many unjust things for different groups of people it was a major key during…
This nation was founded by people who were unhappy with the status quo. Some of the first steps toward forming the United States were acts of civil disobedience such as the Boston Tea Party. The rebels were throwing off the chains of a government that they felt had ignored them or mistreated.…
Civil disobedience is a vital and necessary part of life in a democratic system of government. It serves to keep the government from overstepping its bounds. There are times in the history of countries where the governing body has become complacent and has begun to violate the rights of their citizens. Civil disobedience is an effective way of discouraging and preventing such transgressions. Without the threat of dissidence from the public, there is nothing to keep governments honest except for the honor of those governments, which is highly questionable even in the noblest of nations. The role of elected officials in the United States is to represent their constituents, be they from their district, state, or party. If there is nothing to hold these politicians to this purpose, can we truly be sure they are ruling in a representative way and not in self interest?…
Some have heard of the Selma March while others have not. Believe it or not, the Selma March is an important event in black history and one that is remembered every year. I found interest in this topic and that’s why I decided to write my paper on it. People such as African Americans fought for their rights even though it wasn’t easy and came with inhumane consequences. With a few resources, I have came upon information about who participated and led the marches, what the reactions were to the protesting and marches, and what the march achieved. With these resources, I have discovered the historical significance of it. I have become more educated on this topic and now I’m able to understand the suffering these people went through to achieve…
Throughout all of human history, the acts brought on by disobedience have pioneered mankind into greatness. After all, it is through disobedience that one can hope to ever accomplish something truly extraordinary, for it is the act of defying authority that often brings about revolution against the unjust and an altered perspective of reality. Disobedience is an essential facet of society—needed to march progressively into a brighter future.…
The Power of Protest Slavery, the ultimate form of discrimination and injustice between whites and blacks, was abolished in the year 1865 with the passing of the thirteenth amendment. Almost 100 years after the thirteenth amendment was passed, racism and discrimination against African Americans continued to exist in the United States. After the passing of Jim Crow Laws, which were meant to segregate relations between whites and blacks, the Civil Rights Movement was sparked. Many courageous and angered activists partook in acts of civil disobedience to help their voices be heard, like Rosa Parks not giving up her seat on a bus to a white man, or Martin Luther King Jr. speaking of his opinion on racism in his “I Have a Dream” speech.…
Civil disobedience plays a huge role in today's society. For example immigrants coming over to America causes a lot of controversy. Many people feel as though all immigrants are bad and that is not the case. While there are many people who value a dollar not many people in other countries can say the same because they don't have much of anything.When immigrants come over they are breaking the law but in some cases we've had immigrants here who have been her for years and they have not caused any problems. Stereotypes are often formed when people hear things from friends,family,radio,tv and news. When people say that all immigrants are bad it's like says all white people are bad or all black people are bad and ect. I think not letting immigrants…