Examples Of Peaceful Disobedience

Peaceful disobedience not only positively impacts our society, but was strongly encouraged and considered necessary in both the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. The Declaration states multiple times that there is a certain social contract that is put in place with a successful government, one where The People give up some of their power for the protection of their basic rights. It is also stated that if these basic rights are not protected, “it is their right, it is their duty” (the people’s) to protest and let the government know. The idea, originating from John Locke, adapted by Thomas Jefferson, states that as people it is not only a right we have but a God-given DUTY. You are a human being, and because of that you were
A recent example of this right is the Supreme Court’s ruling on the right to same-sex marriage. They declared it unconstitutional for this to be banned or outlawed, therefore making it legal for everyone nationwide. This was a huge step for this community because it was currently, at that time, banned in 13 states. The LGBT community exercised their “Right of the People” in many peaceful forms. Some very popular forms of peaceful disobedience for this community was gatherings, parades, and events where the people would take to the streets and picket or just gather. A lot of times these movements came with boycotts or acts of civil disobedience, but it was for the positive. On June 26th, 2015 they gained a victory when the Supreme Court listened to their civil disobedience and the “Right of the People, by ultimately granting them the right to the Pursuit of Happiness. This is just merely one example where “We the People” have seen our rights being taking from us and have used our right to revolt to change that. Through the Civil Rights Movement, to the Environmental Movement of the 90’s, to the throughout history Feminism Movement, we have exercised our rights as human beings, and Americans just as the Founding Fathers have