Civil Disobedience Examples
Civil disobedience is the act of openly breaking the law or refusing to comply with government demands then willingly accepting punishment for the action. In Henry David Thoreau's case, spending a night in jail was the result of his civil disobedience when he refused to pay poll-tax. Like Thoreau, Kim Davis was jailed because of her refusal to follow a rule. Since Kim Davis shared a similar experience with Thoreau and that is why I think she would best fit Thoreau's definition of civil disobedience. Kim Davis shows the best example of civil disobedience because of how she handled the situation she was in. Davis refused to sign a marriage license for a gay couple because she felt it violated her religious beliefs. "When Kim Davis refused
…show more content…
Bundy could be viewed as the best example of civil disobedience because of his involvement with the government surrounding the issue of the illegal grazing of his cattle on federal land. However, I have to disagree with this because of the fact that he allegedly had an armed confrontation with the police on the issue which was called the "Bundy Standoff". "Bundy physically and verbally resisted the deputies, who eventually subdued him and booked him into county jail," (Son of Cliven Bundy...). This quote provides he fact that Bundy resisted the police, therefore he is not the best example of civil disobedience because for the law breaking to be "civil" disobedience it needs to be nonviolent. For example, in the case of Kim Davis, she willingly accepted the punishment which is what makes her a better example of civil disobedience. Finally, Thoreau says, "Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it” (Thoreau 4). This quote proves further that Davis is the best example because Davis showed respect for the government by not resigning from her position and gracefully accepting her punishment, while Bundy did not show respect for the government by resisting his punishment when he knew he was breaking the
Bundy could be viewed as the best example of civil disobedience because of his involvement with the government surrounding the issue of the illegal grazing of his cattle on federal land. However, I have to disagree with this because of the fact that he allegedly had an armed confrontation with the police on the issue which was called the "Bundy Standoff". "Bundy physically and verbally resisted the deputies, who eventually subdued him and booked him into county jail," (Son of Cliven Bundy...). This quote provides he fact that Bundy resisted the police, therefore he is not the best example of civil disobedience because for the law breaking to be "civil" disobedience it needs to be nonviolent. For example, in the case of Kim Davis, she willingly accepted the punishment which is what makes her a better example of civil disobedience. Finally, Thoreau says, "Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it” (Thoreau 4). This quote proves further that Davis is the best example because Davis showed respect for the government by not resigning from her position and gracefully accepting her punishment, while Bundy did not show respect for the government by resisting his punishment when he knew he was breaking the