The Sioux Tribe Summary

Often, the most complex problems that sometimes seem overwhelming can be tackled and addressed with the simplest methods. We can see this idea demonstrated and confirmed as we look at history and today, and the successes and failures of movements for social and legal change. These movements were not brought together through voting, they weren’t brought together through submissive compliance to the system, they were brought on through civil unrest and disobedience. Progressive sociopolitical movements at their core, are initiated by the acts of an individual or a group that challenge the system, acts that can inspire mass movements for positive change.

The issue with asking as to whether a free society will be benefited or harmed by peaceful resistance is that it is implying that the people within the given society are truly free, while the truth is that by resisting a system that is either discriminating or exploiting its citizenry, you are exposing the truth that its people are
not free and thereby progressing efforts to only bring us closer to a free society. To expose people to these wrongdoings is a fundamental part of mobilizing the people, and civil disobedience often brings about a brutal backlash from law enforcement and politicians, thus illuminating the masses of the blatant injustices of their system. Martin Luther King Jr. used this idea frequently, with Birmingham being a prime example of using and exposing injustice to organize the movement for good. In his autobiography, he reflects on this stance and states: “I became convinced that noncooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good.”

To change a law that is unjust, you need a multitude of tactics that all work together to overcome.
If a law is working directly against a minority group that holds no real political power, stating legal action as the path available lacks any form of grasp on reality. Even today, in Standing Rock, the Sioux Tribe did not have any initial legal assistance, and was still a powerful and positive resistance that came together through civil disobedience and solidarity. It was the peaceful resistance of the people that plowed through harsh treatment from law enforcement and private interests. This persistence and injustice is what called people from all over the nation to band together and stand up for Standing Rock, it brought over environmental lawyers, activist groups, students, veterans, and natives from all around who all stood up and showed that even when imperialism and private investment are standing against you, simple civil disobedience can bring you together in the fight for
freedom.

The power of the people is a positive force that has been continuously powerful and successful all throughout history and through the current day. It is a force that has consistently been influential and dominant in the fight for freedom and equality. When an individual, an organization, or a movement decides to resist an unjust law, they aren’t just being disruptive or costly, they are fighting to free those oppressed, they are fighting to create a more perfect union.