Is America Good Or Bad Essay
“All men recognize the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable.” (Henry David Thoreau) America has tried to thrive as a free society. America has had little success, even though we are promised equal treatment under the law. Americans are aware that America needs to provide civil liberties within this nation to make America great. Justice, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is what citizens expect to have, but that is not always the case. Every citizen has a different view of freedom. America has not provided protection for every citizen’s individual rights by law from unjust governmental or other interference. Thus, Americans have fought and continue to fight for their civil liberties to improve their lives in America. Peaceful resistance to laws positively impact a free society. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of
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mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” Martin Luther King Jr. believed that whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. If Americans allow injustice to thrive in America, then injustice will prevail in America. Americans cannot stand by and allow for unjust ideologies to flourish in our country. Martin Luther King Jr. believed in non-violent protesting to acquire justice for African-Americans living in the United States of America. King Jr. was arrested and sent to jail because he and others were protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama. He was not allowed to protest there because of a court order, but proceeded to do so anyway because he knew African-Americans living in Birmingham, Alabama lived a life of poverty and segregation. All citizens of America should be considered insiders of America and not second-class citizens. If you want change, you must change for the better. “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” Martin Luther King Jr. knew that change was not going to come for the African-Americans living in the United States of America. Even though slavery came to an end, Jim Crow laws were implemented into American life for citizens residing in the Southern United States. Jim Crow laws were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation. These laws made it hard for African-Americans to flourish because former-slaves did not have much money to move their families away from their current location, so many former-slaves had to reside in the Southern United States. The oppressors had to free slaves, but found an alternative way to oppress African-Americans. The countless peaceful-resistances had led to a change for the African-Americans of the Civil Rights Movement because Jim Crow laws came to an end in 1965. Thus, African-Americans were able to get the same benefits of society as their fellow white Americans living in the United States of America.
“A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God.
An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.” King Jr. indicated that unjust laws were not laws at all. African-Americans could not freely pursue joy and live life in a way that made the, happy, if they did not do anything illegal or violate the rights of others. Laws were put in place to ensure white Americans always had a better life than African-Americans. These laws were considered structurally unjust, immoral, and iniquitous to African-Americans. Peaceful resistance needed to occur. “Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality.” Although it was hard for African-Americans to organize in the Southern United States, they were still able congregate to make great efforts to achieve their pursuit of
happiness.
America has had little success at thriving as a free society. America needs to provide justice, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all citizens. Any unjust laws will be protested because citizens can no longer wait for change to come. Citizens must force change to favor their image of a free society. During the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. knew African-Americans were going to suffer even more, if they did not congregate and fight for their justice, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Peaceful resistance has a positive impact on a free society because it allows citizens of diverse backgrounds to achieve greatness together and thrive as a nation.
mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.” Martin Luther King Jr. believed that whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly. If Americans allow injustice to thrive in America, then injustice will prevail in America. Americans cannot stand by and allow for unjust ideologies to flourish in our country. Martin Luther King Jr. believed in non-violent protesting to acquire justice for African-Americans living in the United States of America. King Jr. was arrested and sent to jail because he and others were protesting the treatment of blacks in Birmingham, Alabama. He was not allowed to protest there because of a court order, but proceeded to do so anyway because he knew African-Americans living in Birmingham, Alabama lived a life of poverty and segregation. All citizens of America should be considered insiders of America and not second-class citizens. If you want change, you must change for the better. “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” Martin Luther King Jr. knew that change was not going to come for the African-Americans living in the United States of America. Even though slavery came to an end, Jim Crow laws were implemented into American life for citizens residing in the Southern United States. Jim Crow laws were state and local laws that enforced racial segregation. These laws made it hard for African-Americans to flourish because former-slaves did not have much money to move their families away from their current location, so many former-slaves had to reside in the Southern United States. The oppressors had to free slaves, but found an alternative way to oppress African-Americans. The countless peaceful-resistances had led to a change for the African-Americans of the Civil Rights Movement because Jim Crow laws came to an end in 1965. Thus, African-Americans were able to get the same benefits of society as their fellow white Americans living in the United States of America.
“A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God.
An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law.” King Jr. indicated that unjust laws were not laws at all. African-Americans could not freely pursue joy and live life in a way that made the, happy, if they did not do anything illegal or violate the rights of others. Laws were put in place to ensure white Americans always had a better life than African-Americans. These laws were considered structurally unjust, immoral, and iniquitous to African-Americans. Peaceful resistance needed to occur. “Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. All segregation statutes are unjust because segregation distorts the soul and damages the personality.” Although it was hard for African-Americans to organize in the Southern United States, they were still able congregate to make great efforts to achieve their pursuit of
happiness.
America has had little success at thriving as a free society. America needs to provide justice, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to all citizens. Any unjust laws will be protested because citizens can no longer wait for change to come. Citizens must force change to favor their image of a free society. During the Civil Rights Movement, Martin Luther King Jr. knew African-Americans were going to suffer even more, if they did not congregate and fight for their justice, liberty and pursuit of happiness. Peaceful resistance has a positive impact on a free society because it allows citizens of diverse backgrounds to achieve greatness together and thrive as a nation.