Examples Of Disobedience

There is no better example of disobedience leading to progress than America itself. This country was built on revolution, from the worn eighteenth-century bricks pointing the way to Lexington and Concord to antiquated metal signs corroding in the landfill reading ‘Whites only’. To justify a safe and prosperous life, rebellions and protests must occur- until the minority becomes heard over the deafening shout of the majority, there cannot truly be peace. Oscar Wilde’s claim that ‘it is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion’ has never been more accurate than it is today, especially when weighed against a powerful, strife-ridden history.

Rebellions, whether unheard or spoken to the masses, make up the
Our tumultuous history can only be justified by the waves of progress that have come from our actions. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke of peace and prosperity, of children living in a world where the color of skin was inconsequential to societal rank. His words reached every corner of the nation, spinning a utopian ideal of complete equality- but behind his words, thousands of Americans rose up against a powerful majority and demanded the right to equality, picket signs in hand and strong support for bigotry and racism at their backs. In Brown v. Board of Education, schools were integrated, overturning Plessy v. Ferguson set decades prior- but behind this monumental decision, men and women took to the streets with powerful messages of hope and progression, hate groups dragging down their every move. Behind every monumental step towards equality lies sweat and tears- without the efforts of the few, the many would remain in power and the world could not truly progress. Oscar Wilde argues that rebellion promotes social progress, and in American society,