Pros And Cons Of Civil Disobedience

Our Constitution begins with the words, “We the People”, not we the government, or we the wealthy elite, but “We the People”. Our democracy was founded on the basic ideals that everyone should have a say, and that everyone’s opinion matters. This has been the selling point for America for generations, that we are a society of equal opportunity, “The land of the free” as our national anthem states. And yet we aren’t a pure democracy. The people do not enact or vote on laws, they don’t have a say in how the government spends its money. Instead we elect people to do this for us, we are a representative democracy, a republic. This system is efficient, and has kept our nation going for its period of existence, but it has its flaws. One of the largest
Martin Luther King Jr. His entire protest was founded on civil disobedience, and it proved that nonviolent actions have the power to change the course of history. The laws in place during the mid-1900s were severely racist, immoral, and unethical. King and his fellow activists decided enough was enough and peacefully fought against these laws across the south. Many were jailed for their actions, many were beaten, and some lost their lives. What they were doing was against the law, but to abide by laws that are unjust is just as bad as breaking those that are just. As King writes in his letter from the jail in Birmingham, “I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” He argues that it is the duty of every citizen to fight against unjust actions whenever they arise, and that those who do nothing are just as bad as those who commit unjust deeds. King also points out that often the institutions set up to deal with injustice are often either too slow to enact reasonable change, or are at the heart of the injustice themselves. Therefore it is the duty of the citizens to take to the streets and demand that the problem be