Peaceful Resistance Thesis

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
Since as early as 1775, peaceful protest has adapted to be a traditional value, and eventual right, of the American people. Idealists such as John Locke infiltrated the minds of hopeful revolutionists with aspirations of changing their society into one that allows for individual prosperity and adequate representation. This concept of government infatuated the minds of American colonists under British rule, and they soon looked to notify their King of the many grievances they had against him. On July 5, 1775, the Continental Congress ratified the Olive Branch Petition, drafted by John Dickinson, in which the colonists offered reconciliation with the mother country, should their provisions be considered and established in the further ruling of Parliament. However, once the King refused