Preview

Peaceful Resistance Essay

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
764 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Peaceful Resistance Essay
Peaceful resistance to laws, or civil disobedience, has a place in our society. Peaceful resistance if used correctly can be very motivating. Peaceful resistance when used correctly can cause people to look at something in a different light and it can cause people to change the way they have been doing things.

Peaceful resistance can cause someone to look at something in a different light than they have been before. Peaceful resistance has to be done and yet showing peace at the same time. Whenever someone refuses to stand for the national anthem, then that is there choice. They have the right to sit down or take a knee during the national anthem. They have that right and no one should be able to take it away. If they want to sit down because
…show more content…
If someone were to handle the situation correctly then they would perform their act of peaceful resistance and they would suffer the consequences - regardless of how dire the consequences might be - and people might look at the situation again. The public might reconsider the event, they might once again ponder how they feel about the politics of something. Often times someone who is willing to pursue civil disobedience and undergo the consequences is very convinced that they are right. They are often times so convinced that they are right that they believe that once other people take a second look that they will see a different way as before. Rosa Parks was an example of civil disobedience. She was willing to endure the consequences simply so that people would see that she and all other African-Americans were being mistreated. Martin Luther King Jr. and his work was full of examples of civil disobedience. He had peaceful marches and such. He and his followers suffered the consequences of arrest, physical abuse, and occasionally even death. The Sit-ins where people would sit in a white-only restaurant until they were served were often met with consequences of physical or verbal persecution and even arrest. The freedom rides where African-Americans rode the busses in opposition to the laws resulted in deaths and arrests and beatings. Whereas all of these events resulted in serious consequences, they are also all considered successful. This is a fascinating aspect seeing how they were abused and persecuted and arrested and killed and yet these are all successful examples of civil disobedience. It is often times because of the consequences that caused people to notice the civil disobedience. Once people have noticed and identified the issue then they begin to analyze how to fix the issue. And this is exactly what peaceful resistance

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    “[George] reached in his side pocket and brought out Carlson’s Luger; he snapped off the safety , and the hand and gun lay on the ground behind Lennie’s back. He looked at the back of Lennie’s head, at the place where the spine and skull were joined...” (Steinbeck 105). In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, George makes the decision to shoot his best friend Lennie. Lennie is a mentally disabled man with hopes and dreams of owning a farm, and living off the fat of the land. George is the man who goes through thick and thin with him, and helps him out whenever he throws himself into a big pile of trouble. Both of them have been traveling around together for a long time, and the two are inseparable. Though this time when Lennie finds himself in trouble, George rules out all other options, and comes to the conclusion of killing him instead. George murders his best friend…

    • 931 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It depends on certain situations whether peaceful resistance to laws can have a positive impact or have a negative impact on a free society. Majority of peaceful assemblies can give the group of activist their freedom of speech and views towards something they believe in. Famous public figures like Claudette Colvin and Rosa Park's civil disobedience had a powerful effect on the world. Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to move her seat for a white men while sitting on a segregated white bus in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1st, 1955. Similarly, Claudette Colvin found herself in the same predicament and she was declared the first woman to have that sort of refusal or peaceful resistance towards bus regulations back then. Even though they both knew their views were going to get them into serious consequences with the Jim Crow Laws, they spoke their views and truths about the world during that time. In Rosa Park's situation, fortunately her civil disobedience was a "peaceful resistance towards the law." Nothing seriously got out of control, too violent, or too extreme and to foreshadow when it did; the people of the African American community just stood back up and refused to let the world shut…

    • 663 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The phrase Les Misérables has been around the consciousness of many for a hundred and fifty one years. It has become a cross-cultural artefact, whether it may be the book, the musical, or the movie. One can say that references to any 0f the three can be found in everyday life. It has been around far longer than any of us have been; it’s safe to say that it is a real phenomenon. Yet, there have been other works more aged than Les Misérables. So what sets this work apart?…

    • 3032 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Civil disobedience as a whole acts as a means of positive change in a free society. The First Amendment of the Constitution stands as a protectant to our freedom of speech and expression. In over words, civil disobedience exists as a product of our rights as an American citizen. Without this peaceful resistance to unjust laws, we would be tied down to regulations that serve to endanger and infringe upon the freedom our founding fathers fought for. Though out history, civil heros such as Henry David Thoreau, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr serve to reflect the positive impact and enhanced freedom brought to life by civil disobedience.…

    • 666 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There is a certain hindsight people gain after going through an experience or a time, and it causes them to wonder why they did what did and how they did not see what they were doing was wrong. History is all about learning from previous mistakes, and history has showed us that civil disobedience is a powerful way to stand up for something that is not right.…

    • 529 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    They just cause damage in the surrounding city they claim they want to help. These nonpeaceful defiances of law end up with people bing less likely to support their cause. Instead they would see it as a cause to fight against and try and stop, hurting our progress as a country. Those few protests do ruin the name and credibility of the peaceful defiances of today however. There are many lesser seen peaceful defiances of law such as many strikes that happen throughout the country. These strikes and other peaceful defiances of law prove extremely powerful and effective when the topic gains enough support and backing especially when it is a much needed reform. These are highly organized and have realistic goals, just like the protests and defianes of laws in the 50s and 60s. Of course any new hange in society is met with heavy opposition. Many of these social changes are not over night things that are solved in a few weeks, rather last years. A great example is the womens suffrage movement. The movemtn started in Seneca Falls in 18848 and finally ended with the passing of the of the 19th amendment in 1919 and ratification in…

    • 513 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Peaceful resistance, historically referred to as “civil disobedience”, is a long-standing American tradition practiced throughout history in times of public turmoil and political fracas. From the opening stages of the United States, to the tergiversate of the civil right movement, civil disobedience continues to take its place in the moral actions of the American people. The right to defend one's unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness is an ideal that was both important to the Founding Fathers, and to Americans today. Influential leaders of the world such as John Dickinson, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Luther King Jr., along with many others, promoted and demonstrated the benefits and positive affects of peaceful protesting to achieve their goals, as well as establish a legacy and a path for revolution. Likewise, a peaceful…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Civil disobedience is a key part of the rights that all Americans now have. Civil disobedience allows for the people to take a stand against rules and regulations that they do not agree with. From movements such as ending slavery, women voting, and racial equality, civil disobedience was a major factor in getting the attention of those who had the position to make a change. Rosa Parks wouldn't give up her seat on a bus, which brought national attention to rising concerns of racial equality in the 1950s and 1960s. Martin Luther King Junior held many rallies and marches to make his point well known, and impossible to ignore by the people who had the power to change the laws of the day. From as far back as Harriet Tubman, who helped slaves…

    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It becomes a kind of despotism where we seek to silence rather than engage.” Civil disobedience is a necessary part of free society, as it provides an avenue from which all people can make themselves heard, regardless of political power or economic status. Furthermore, it is necessary to keep the spirit of the first amendment alive, as peaceful protest is a way in which people exercise their right to free speech; without peaceful resistance to laws, little progress would be made in a free society, and the views of the majority would be imposed on the rest of the population. Acting as a catalyst for change, peaceful resistance one ingredient of the recipe that drives a free nation towards growth and…

    • 753 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When she refused to leave her seat it was an act of rebellion against and unfair law that she believed that should be changed. With her rebellion she inspired a nationwide movement which led to African Americans gaining the right to sit where they want on the bus. Another Example would be the Chicano movement which could be related back to the civil rights movement for African Americans. The Chicanos constructed walkouts from schools. Their peaceful protest lead to the Mexican Americans creating a less strict environment in their schools which allows them to have more rights such as speaking Spanish on school grounds and gave them pride in being Mexican AMERICANS. My last and final example would be Cesar Chavez and the potato farmers. Similar to the Chicano movement, Cesar Chavez was a Mexican American labor leader that organized migrant farm workers in marches across the southwestern USA. His civil disobedience helped create better pay methods for the farmers who weren’t getting paid fairly. In conclusion depending on the situations and/or reasoning like equality, justice, and to fix wrongs/ faults in the country peaceful resistance to laws could positively impact a free…

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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…

    • 755 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    There are many arguments that civil disobedience is morally permissible within a democracy, but the most convincing argument is that the publicity of the act helps force negotiations with officials by highlighting the unfairness of an unjust or oppressive law. Sometimes, legal processes are insufficient to change a law, and complaints made are often ignored, such being the case of many voting rights protesters. Civil disobedience is used as a last resort, to force people to reconsider the status quo and address the issue at hand. An oft used example is the Civil Rights Movement. Though MLK and others engaged in peaceful protests, officials and police responded with violence in an attempt to suppress them. Their barbarity, however, brought more attention to the…

    • 426 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Civil Disobedience Papers

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Many people think that civil disobedience is simply a way of expressing your opposition to a law through a publicity stunt. However, civil disobedience is much more than this. Civil disobedience leads to a more positive society where people can feel open of expressing themselves against unjust laws or actions of government. The action of civil disobedience makes a free society where, in Adlai Stevenson’s words, people find it more “safe to be unpopular”.…

    • 514 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Over the past years we have experienced many peaceful resistance against a few laws. For example, Cesar Chavez decided to boycott the grape industry. Martin Luther King Jr. gave the "I Believe Speech" in front of many Americans. Those were great peaceful ways to make our country better. Many people may argue peaceful resistance may cause a negative impact on our free society, but I can strongly disagree with that. People who say it causes a negative impact is because they are scared of the truth.They feel if they ignore everything that is really going on it will be okay. No, peaceful resistance is not to make our country dangerous; on the contrary, it is to make our country stronger. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter when he was in jail, and…

    • 567 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One example is the lunch counter sit-ins in diners throughout the South during the Civil Rights movement. Through the use of these peaceful protests, African American citizens could emphasize the fact that racism was so ingrained into American society that they could not even have a cup of coffee due to their race. Another example is the Montgomery bus boycott. The incarceration of Rosa Parks after refusing to give up her seat for a white passenger sparked bans on riding segregated buses across Montgomery, bringing to center stage the anger felt by African Americans that they were always being pushed back to make room for the whites. These feelings would have gone unnoticed by the white majority if it weren’t for civil disobedience. Today, there are numerous examples of how civil disobedience has had major impacts in our society. The Women’s March on Washington was a peaceful protest against sexism that spread far beyond Washington, with protests taking place in major cities across the globe. The protests against the Dakota Access Pipeline helped to postpone construction and raise awareness for issues faced by Native Americans on reservations across the country. It is undeniable that civil disobedience has been an effective method of change throughout history and should continue to impact…

    • 631 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays