Civil Disobedience And Democracy

Reading Henry David Thoreau’s essay Civil Disobedience (1849) I find a parallelism between his thoughts and the coming of age of the United States as a nation. This piece was originally delivered as a speech before the Concord Lyceum in January of 1848 on the subject "On the Relation of the Individual to the State", and published under the title Resistance to Civil Government in Elizabeth Peabody's Aesthetic Papers, in May 1849. Thoreau wrote it from a personal experience: in 1846 he had been imprisoned for not paying his taxes as a protest for the actions of the government because he opposed slavery and the Mexican War. This essay is part of the literary period called The

It is imperative to understand that the United States of America was born through acts of civil disobedience. And because American freedoms are constantly in danger of being encroached on, it is also important that citizens are aware of the worth that civil disobedience can possess. Civil disobedience is when a person or people refuse to obey a demand or restriction by the state that conflicts with higher law and conscience. The act requires that the disobedient one accept whatever may be the consequence of refusing, whether it be imprisonment, moral condemnation, fines, even perhaps death. It should be done when one’s spiritual searching and sense of rightness permit no other response. (Day 65: Disobedient Friends – Quakers and Civil Disobedience) There have been many instances of civil disobedience throughout American history which have had a powerful influence on the legal system and society as a whole.

Civil Disobedience is classified as the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest. This idea was brought into focus in the essay “Resistance to Civil Government (Civil Disobedience)” by American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau’s opinion on the subject was that the government was involved in everyone’s business, trying to make the country better yet they had the opposite effect. His opinion was that there is a need to prioritize one’s conscious over the dictates of law. Though there are many things that Thoreau touches on, the three main issues that he discussed were The Mexican war, slavery, and the taxes that he was protesting against.

America was founded on a principle of civil disobedience. With the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the Founding Fathers set forth a powerful precedent. The Declaration said in part, that when institutions of government becomes destructive or abusive of unalienable rights, it is the right of the people to alter it or to abolish it. The history of our nation tells us that civil disobedience is a civic responsibility, and in the alleged words of Thomas Jefferson, “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism”. From the Boston Tea Party to the Stonewall Riots, the United States Constitution and advances in racial, social, and gender equality support the idea that peaceful resistance positively contributes to a freer society, and a more equitable America.

Civil disobedience is often not the most effective, safe, or the most viable option, but what happens if it is the only option. Should people be punished for speaking their voice and correcting an injustice against them even though it is illegal? According to harvard professor Johns Rawls most acts of true civil disobedience are morally justified. Although civil disobedience being illegal, it is morally justified in a democracy because it protects the legitimacy of a democracy, gets rid of unregulated unjust rule of majority, and sometimes is the only way for a group to be heard.

To grasp the meaning of Civil Disobedience one would have to say that it means the refusal to obey the civil laws so that the government can change the policy or legislation, characterized by the use of.

I believe that peaceful resistance to laws both positively and negatively impacts a free society. Civil disobedience is the refusal to obey certain laws and government demands one considers unjust, and accepting the consequences. The first amendment prohibits Congress to enact any law that would intervene with any person's civil rights. Though everybody knows this, why are there discussions about what people can and cannot refuse to do. Some people refuse to do things because it goes against their faith, which as stated earlier is allowed according to the first amendment. While others refuse to see what is right in front of them, in the very center of the Declaration of Independence.

The United States government was created with the doctrine of popular sovereignty, or the idea that government is created, sustained, and ran by the people. As Henry David Thoreau wrote in his essay on civil disobedience, “the character inherent in the American people has done all that has been accomplished.” What we accomplish as a country is accomplished by the people, not the government. And with that in mind, civil disobedience not only has a positive impact on a free society, but is imperative to our democratic system.

The United States Constitution grants citizens the right to peacefully protest and petition the government; however, some people believe that civil disobedience should be expunged from the list of rights people have. I believe this would go against the notion of the United States being the "home of the free", freedom is only freedom when there are no restrictions. Yes, civil disobedience does case complications between the people and the government, but wasn't the government made " for the people, but the people"? Do they not have the right to live under laws they approve of?

Civil disobedience is the refusal to conform to certain laws as a form of harmless political protest, while being aware of the consequences that could result because of it. Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society because actions are taken due to people letting their voice be heard. While some may argue that the main reasons of this are the five basic rights mentioned in the first amendment (freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition), this issue goes far beyond that. Without civil disobedience, many historical events might have not played such an important role as they did to the point that they changed America in numerous ways; not to mention the courageous people who still take part in protests today to claim the rights they should have.

In 21st century United States, the American society has continue to push the idea of social acceptance. From the mid-1900s to now, anti-racist and and anti-sexist agendas (among other things) have advocated for equal rights and representation through protesting. But now, with their ability to make an equal impact on American society, I am led to conclude that civil disobedience in the form of protesting is unacceptable due to the basic principles of the social contract and legislative representation.

Civil disobedience towards laws is an act of refusing to obey a law by not using violence or war, physically. Doing something peaceful means more than just nonviolence, but doing an action that causes other people to react in a calm way in return. In a free society, peaceful resistance to law can cause a lot of change that can be both positive or negative. However, I do believe it has way more of a positive impact than negative because a resistance speaks up against a law that they do not believe in and to create change. Through a more peaceful approach, resistors will avoid spreading any means of hate, while still having hope to change the law.

The world has been driven by a force of civil disobedience by many different well known leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. , Rosa Parks, Alice Paul, and Mahatma Ghandi. Civil disobedience, the act of disobeying the law in a peaceful manner for one’s own rights and thoughts, has been used for the greater good for centuries past and will most likely continue to do this through the many centuries to come. The Constitution itself states that congress can make no law prohibiting religion, media, speech, the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances and the right to peacefully assemble. Civil disobedience is also shown vividly through the Civil

Would you fight for what you believe in no matter the denouement? Would you go against the odds, disobey society and the law to improve the lives of others? In the words of Oscar Wilde, disobedience is a valuable human trait that leads to social progress. Disobedience results in freedom, equality, and civil rights.

Nothing is handed over immediately, someone must desire a certain thing to be given. Civil responsibilities have always painted a refined timeline in history. It is no doubt revolutions are constructed, rebellion will trample down a government, and words can produce an insurrection. During his stay at Birmingham Jail, Dr.King writes an ironic letter━Letter from Birmingham Jail━with a message, “freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.”(King, 3) The words of King creates a powerful statement for a civil responsibility, in which is completely agreeable and correct that it is seen in today’s society, the Declaration of Independence, and Henry David Thoreau’s On the Duty of Civil Disobedience.