Disobedience In The Civil Rights Movement

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. Perhaps one of the most renowned examples of disobedience is that of defiance by American colonists, under the control of Great Britain, during the 1700s. Before the call of war was made, insubordination could be seen in events including the Boston Tea Party and the meetings of The Continental Congress. Bostonian men, disguised as Mohawk Indians, executed the Boston Tea Party when they dumped over 300 boxes of tea into the Boston Harbor. This was a grand addition to the defiance of several colonist rebels with their implementations of boycotts on British tea. American colonists were angered, for they had no representation in government and were being taxed
without the slightest trace of consent. The meetings of The Continental Congress included the participation of men such as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Samuel Adams, and Thomas Jefferson. These men met with the knowledge of their possible imprisonment and execution if discovered by British authorities. They met to discuss the many grievances of the American colonists against King George III and his harsh grasp on their freedom. If it were not for the feats of these American pioneers, the United States as we know it today would be nonexistent. Sovereignty was accomplished with unimaginable bravery to go against a force of worldly domination—disobedience. Disobedience and its consequences of change for a reformed way of life can be seen in America during the 1950s and 60s throughout the Civil Rights Movement.
African Americans along with other minority groups and supporters of the cause went against regulations placed by those of a racially-segregating mindset in order to obtain equal rights. Sit-ins such as that arranged by four college students in a North Carolina Woolworth’s “Whites Only” sitting section, went against state law but were acts of protest to gain deserved equal treatment and service for all. Large-scale marches were organized as means of peaceful protest that negated the warnings of white authority to gain national attention for the efforts of millions of oppressed individuals. These operations guided by disobedience were without doubt necessary for the progress of humanity into a more unified
tomorrow. A women’s right to vote was achieved through a road paved by disobedience. Women such as Alice Paul were arrested and forced to endure harsh conditions for their acts against the U.S. Constitution that only mentions men. These women were not afraid to hold parades, picket, and rally for their cause despite the ever-present threat of imprisonment. Through their valiant efforts, women attained suffrage with the nineteenth amendment. After years of fighting both physically and by peaceful means, women could be represented in U.S. elections. Using history as a tool to learn from, it is clear that disobedience has and will continue to be a way for reaching reform in areas of corruption. Refusing to stand behind certain laws, regulations, commands, directions, and/or orders is a necessity to the advancing of a cultured people.