After reading "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" by Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. for the first time for this essay, I realized what true civil disobedience was. Rev. King understood that his…
Disobedience is a valuable human trait and it promotes social progress. The beginning of time starts with disobedience. Humans tend to attract to trouble like a moth to a flame. When someone is born they start off disobedient. Humans have to be taught how to behave. It is to be imbedded into our brains to make the right decisions.…
“Civil disobedience is a form of protest in which protesters deliberately violate a law” (suber). It is a way for society to reform itself to reflect its current values while maintaining its fundamental ideals. Some may argue civil disobedience is a “slippery slope” leading to anarchy or it cannot be justified in a democracy. Civil disobedience, while not optimum, is a way to accomplish change with the intent of reform and stabilizing communities.…
The protests led by legendary activist Martin Luther King and the watershed event of Rosa Park’s infamous bus ride were just two instances in which civil disobedience came to fruition in modern day America. The following quote by Thoreau laid the groundwork for the basis of the actions of many civil rights activists, King and Parks included, “I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward...The only obligation which I have is the right to do what I think right.” (Civil Disobedience 475). The aforementioned quote reveals Thoreau’s belief that it was a citizen’s obligation to withdraw from participating in an unjust and evil government and gives support to future opposition to the American Government as scene during the 1950s and 1960s. Thoreau argues on several issues throughout his essay which include disassociation and reform, however one overarching and undeniable argument that is present throughout his essay is that the American government is an unjust government that must be corrected. This belief was also held by civil rights activists. Through this research paper, the…
Peaceful resistance to rules and regulations among society goes down historically as something so inevitably iconic as an occurrence known as civil disobedience. It is no doubt that civil disobedience, the act of opposing a law deemed unjust and peacefully disobeying it henceforth, spurs such great controversy in our society. Civil disobedience impacts society in a positive manner that does not hinder nor deteriorate the good name of the just nation that is home, but moreover poses as an influence for what is better accepted by humans as lawful.…
America was founded by a semi-organized, angry band of colonies protesting their oppressive mother’s laws. From the Boston Tea Party, to the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King Jr., to the student protests against the Vietnam War, many major turning points in the fabric of America derived from acts of civil disobedience. Without the courageous acts of people willing to accept harsh consequences, these movements would have failed. Without these movements, The United States would not necessarily guarantee the freedoms, like a woman’s right to vote, many Americans take for granted…
Civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines as a peaceful form of political protest. During the time period in which the film SELMA was based, Civil Disobedience was mostly used when protesting colored people's rights to vote. In today’s society, one of the most controversial topics in America, is Abortion. Both abortion and the voting rights of colored people have been, and are still, two of the most controversial topics in America today. Many people believe that there are only two sides to every argument.…
History is marked by endless suffering and tragedies. In the forming of the United States it was established that the rich would be separated from poor and whites would be separated from blacks. And because of this throughout history there has been many injustices and suffering for African Americans and other minorities. Laws were made to keep these people far below their level. When people are oppressed it is in their nature to rebel. Those people are forced to do what they have to do to seek fair equal treatment like everyone else.…
Some argue that civil disobedience represents a genuine cause, but reject the methods of direct action simply as disruptive, immoral, and an illegal standard to combat inequality. Civil disobedience is stigmatized to be corrupt and ineffective; however, I believe these labels do no justice to the cause the act of civil disobedience embodies. Unfortunately, the reality becomes a simple and cruel true: Justice prolonged is justice denied. Not everyone is granted the luxury of timely inalienable rights. Had it not been for those who protested and engaged in the Boston Tea Party how long would have the conversation or much less the American Revolution been delayed? Had it not been for Rosa Parks and the countless others who engaged in civil disobedience how long would it have been before society was desegregated at the choice of the oppressor? When one engages in peaceful civil disobedience, one is given the platform to address the…
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?…
The resolution I have been researching for the past month is “Resolved: Civil Disobedience in a Democracy is morally justified.” Although there is no single, agreed upon definition, many definitions are similar. Civil disobedience is usually defined along the lines of refusing to obey certain rules and laws as a form of non-violent protest of an unjust law, or any law that one opposes, and is often done to bring attention to said law. Through my research, I have found a number of arguments for civil disobedience within a democracy, as well as arguments against it.…
Louis area relies on several key components. The willingness of the St. Louis public that participate in protests to try civil disobedience is the defining factor that will make or break this proposal. However, this level of willingness can increase with the endorsement of large corporations and influential organizations. In his article “Recent Theories of Civil Disobedience: An Anti-Legal Turn,” William Scheuerman analyzes how those participating in civil disobedience technically avoid violating the law. He speaks on how close reading and understanding of laws and regulations allows for protestors to test the law, disprove the law, thus creating a change in the government (Scheuerman, 2015). This fact allows for those participating in civil resistance to rest easy knowing that they are not necessarily violating any laws that hold Constitutional value. It’s this group of people that are most likely already out protesting in one way or another. These individuals are likely affiliated with an organization of some sort that they are protesting on the behalf of or are protesting with those who are like-minded. In her working paper for the USAID, Chenoweth relates the success of civil organizations and campaigns to the reliance on large groups of people (Chenoweth, 2015). Thus, organizations that have a large number of members would have the most success with using civil disobedience as a viable means of…
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Those are the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, one of the great examples of a leader of a civil disobedience movement that exemplifies the way that civil disobedience positively impacted society. Lynching and bombings that resulted in deaths of African Americans were a part of daily life in addition to the fact that African Americans were second class citizens as a result of Supreme Court cases and many laws enacted throughout the United States. From a jail in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King wrote a letter to his fellow clergymen citing the reasons why it is right to perform acts of civil disobedience. In the letter he quoted St. Augustine who said, “An unjust law is no law at all.” The Civil Rights movement in the United States had other heroes who defied authority because of unjust laws. Rosa Parks was an African American woman seated in the African American section of a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. When the white section was filled, Ms. Parks was asked to give her seat to a white man. She did not comply and was arrested. “You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right.” Those words were…
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead was the provider of this quote, and it connects directly to the idea of civil disobedience. In order to change the world, people have to take action. Standing idly by and allowing injustice to occur, even if the majority fails to see the injustice, will not change the tides of history.…
Henry David Thoreau was arrested for his refusal to pay a state tax in support of the Mexican-American War. He was opposed to the war because it was intended to expand the slave states. Thoreau not only engaged in civil disobedience, but in his essay “Civil Disobedience”…