Gandhi's Use Of Civil Disobedience

Civil disobedience is defined as “refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government”(Merriam-Webster). This can also be stated as peacefully breaking laws that are seen as unjust. America’s government is built on the people being able to criticize the government publicly without being punished. Actions that are taken that would qualify as civil disobedience are intended to generate a reaction, ideally a change in the supposedly unjust law, from the government. This is a method that some of the greatest civil rights activists throughout history have used, including Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. Use of civil disobedience in order
Originally a lawyer from India, Gandhi was appalled at the racial injustice he saw while in South Africa and was arrested for disobeying the law that all Indians had to register with the police. While in prison he read and was heavily influenced by Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience”. He applied the principles he read in the essay to the issues within India such as British Imperialism, tensions between Hindus and Muslims, and class discrimination between Indians. He led strikes and protests throughout India to try to invoke change. Despite being arrested several times for his actions, Gandhi continued to take actions he believed to be necessary, and ultimately India did become independent. Gandhi ultimately was murdered for trying to foster peace between Hindus and Muslims, but throughout his life he advocated for peaceful actions to change
After the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the trial for killing Trayvon Martin, the Black Lives Matter movement began as people felt angry and that the acquittal of a man accused of killing an unarmed black man was an example of modern day racism. The people involved in the movement did not feel as though expressing their dissatisfaction with the justice system verbally was calling enough attention to the issue at hand. These people took to the streets, staging protests that blocked traffic, even going on the highway. This disrupted millions of people trying to use the streets and highways that the protesters were marching on, and they reached millions more people through the media coverage of the protests. Despite the nuisance this creates, it is nonetheless an effective method for creating awareness. The key to civil disobedience is that it is non-violent, but it creates a disturbance for other people so that they better notice the issue, or are at least annoyed enough to consider the wants and demands of the other side. One of the fundamental aspects of the United States government is that it is supposed to consider everyone’s voice to make the best decision for the people as a whole. The Black Lives Matter movement is trying to make sure their voice is heard, because they feel it has not been previously. In this way, the Black Lives