Civil Disobedience And The Apartheid

Unjust governments have been a part of everyone's lives. Henry David Thoreau, Mohandas Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr. have all written about the unjust governments at that time. Of these texts, ‘Civil Disobedience’ by Thoreau contains the most effective argument. One aspect of Thoreau’s argument that makes ‘Civil Disobedience’ the most convincing text is because the way Thoreau explains his situation, he uses facts and feelings to get his point across. Similarly, Thoreau uses rhetoric to strengthen his argument in favor of civil disobedience in the face of unjust government. Thoreau's ‘Civil Disobedience’ expresses the need to prioritize one's conscience over the dictates of laws.

Throughout history, we have seen many examples of civil disobedience that has positively affected our society. Of these examples, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., was one of the most impactful cases known to the American people. While in the Birmingham Jail, he wrote a letter to the clergymen justifying his then recent endeavors. Words like peaceful, genuine good, and nonviolent all can be quoted from this letter. He stood for the African American people and their equality. He was ready to take the consequences for his actions and gracefully promoted his cause: segregation! We all know that through this, he got what he wanted accomplished. Now, every American citizen can live in equality and equilibrium.

"One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition." (American Rhetoric on Martin Luther King Jr.) Individuals like Martin Luther King Jr., and other activist such as Mahatma Gandhi, each took a stand, which falls under the category of the act of Civil Disobedience. Because of their domestic actions, there has been an diversely amount of people

Bringing about social change is no easy task, and there are specific components that Dr. Martin Luther King outlines in his “Letter from the Birmingham Jail” that are necessary to nonviolently protest injustices. He mentions four main steps: the collection of information to demonstrate the injustice, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action. After trying to make changes from within the system through the demonstration of information and negotiation, self-purification is completed. This step includes preparing and steeling oneself for suffering that will come during the last step of nonviolent social change, direct action which is a physical demonstration and frequently involves breaking a law. Suffering is often inevitable and necessary while attempting to achieve non-violent change, and this is because the “people in power” need to see that the protesting group is serious. When the people in power realize that this is a matter they should consider more, it causes creative tension to be established in their minds. Creative tension, at its core, is creating a tension in one’s mind, and one questions their current beliefs and what has been seen as acceptable in society because of it. Self-purification is a necessary part of civil disobedience because it prepares a person for the suffering they will endure, suffering that is necessary to instill creative tension in the minds of the people in power to bring about social change.

One reason to support that is that civil disobedience has no violence. For instance, people who used civil disobedience held legal and peaceful protests to solve the issue and to get what they want. Gandhi is one man who used civil disobedience against the British government to get rights for him and other Indians. In August 1906, the Black Act was issued by the Transvaal Government, making Indians have a record and get a fingerprint. One effective way that he protested was when he burnt the Indians’ passes that were given by the government. At that time, the Indians were forced to carry IDs or certificates with them wherever they go. If they were caught without the pass or ID, they were automatically arrested. On August 16, 1908, the Indian community held a meeting on the grounds of the Hamidia Mosque in Johannesburg. They all brought their passes with them to burn (“Gandhi and the Burning of Passes” 1). This meeting was to protest against the vicious and criminal-like treatment the British were giving to the Indians in South Africa. Gandhi encouraged others to eradicate all of the passes given by the British government. At the meeting, there was a pot that was full of passes getting ready to be burnt. The British police were there, too. Gandhi didn’t let them affect him. He got hit by a policeman for every pass he dropped in the pot. He kept on pushing

From Cherokee Indians refusing to abandon their homes in 1838 to the Sit-ins of the civil rIghts movement in the early 1960s, people have been using acts of civil disobedience to stand against injustice they saw in their communities. Although there are many examples of people abusing this benefit and causing more grief and shame than progress, many have used it to their advantage to bring about positive change for the greater good of society, therefore acts of civil disobedience can positively impact a free society if they remain peaceful, respectful, and justified.

An argument against disobedience being a valuable trait is that disobedience always leads to violence. This argument is incorrect because there are many examples of disobedience that have not led to violence. o example of an act of disobedience without the use of violence can be seen when looking at the life of Nelson Mandela. Mandela was one of the leaders of the revolution against apartheid in South Africa. As a child, Mandela was born into the Tembu tribal clan. Despite having a high position in the clan, Mandela left the tribal lifestyle in order to become a lawyer. Through his time in South Africa, Mandela noticed the system of apartheid that existed in the country. Mandela wanted to create change and soon joined the African National Congress. This group fought for the rights of black South Africans. They did this using nonviolent methods “ such as testifying before parliament and submitting petitions” (Sawinski 1). This group created change without causing bloodshed. The government responded violently to the protests of the African National Congress. In the 1950’s, many blacks were killed and Mandela was arrested. He was eventually let out, only to be given life in prison in 1962. Mandela served twenty-seven years in prison. Mandela’s influence began to spread inside and outside the prison, and he was sent to a maximum security prison. After intense international pressure, South Africa released Mandela. Mandela went back to the African National Congress, and “persuaded his comrades to suspend the armed struggle they had been waging against the South African government” (Sawinski 1). With the influence he gained, Mandela started speaking around the world to spread awareness and raise funds for his cause. Soon, he became the president of the African National Congress, and kept fighting for the rights of black South Africans. In his lifetime, Mandela helped get rid of apartheid in South Africa and

The human race doesn’t take injustice lying down. Over the past hundred years, there has been many examples of people taking a stand for their own rights and freedoms through acts of civil disobedience, defined as “the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest”. While a quick glance at today’s society does show a much more accepting and proper view of people of every race, religion and sexuality, our world does not come without its injustices. I believe that these major injustices keep civil disobedience extremely relevant in our current, modern world.

During the period of Apartheid in South Africa between 1948 and 1994 the reactions of the South African citizens towards the legal separation of races varied depending on race, ideals and time period. After gold and diamonds were fud inSouthAfrica both the dutch and British wanted the land to themselves, leading to the Boer War from which the Dutch farmers emerged victorious. Following the Boer War and the creation of the Union of South Africa in 1910, the Dutch Boers gained control over the majority of the land in the previously British Cape Colony along with the settlements they had already built, the Transvaal and the Orange Free State. Blacks in South Africa made up about eighty percent of the population but only lived on ten percent of

Martin Luther King Jr., the most important Civil Rights leader, once said “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most influential individuals in United States history, and is still recognized today for his peaceful approach on change. He believed that it was the peoples’ job to point out the flaws of society, and hold the government accountable for them. Many say that it is not the peoples’ responsibility to take this kind of action; however, no one has the leverage that the people do. The heart is to the body as the citizens are to the country. Without the active engagement of the people in the system, the country would fall flat of its responsibilities. With the absence of civil

The history of American, non violent, civil disobedience depicts how peaceful resistance can shape public opinion, voice dissent, and change unjust laws. In both Contemporary and past history do we see the role that protest has on our Democracy,and how dissenters, such as Susan B Anthony and Martin Luther King Jr, can become American heroes. The United States was founded on an act of civil disobedience, and even in Modern America, principled dissent has become the highest form of

Typically, when civil disobedience comes up, we look to the long line of heroes who put their lives on the line to help define what civil disobedience meant and how it could be successfully used in order to effect change. Gandhi, Susan B. Anthony, M.L. King and Mandela, are among the many men and women who fought great injustices in the past by taking a stand and calling attention to an unjust law. They used civil disobedience against the established order of things as a tool to not only

    There have been certain individuals and events that have been present in our history that have embellished the importance of disobedience. In the speech  “The Ballot or the Bullet” by Malcolm X states , “ Any time you demonstrate against segregation and a man has the audacity to put a police dog on you , kill that dog ,kill him,i'm telling you,kill that dog.“ X indicates that you must use violence to fight for justice.This validates Wilde’s claim that disobedience is a man virtue because once your natural rights are violated you are granted with the authority of defending them .Once an immense amount of change occurs, they will realize that disobedience is the successful way to make social progress . With activiste being aware of the following consequences the overall goal was to seek for change.  Martin Luther King jr. was a civil rights activist during the civil rights movement . In his letter from the

The South African Apartheid, instituted in 1948 by the country’s Afrikaner National Party, was legalized segregation on the basis of race, and is a system comparable to the segregation of African Americans in the United States. Non-whites - including blacks, Indians, and people of color in general- were prohibited from engaging in any activities specific to whites and prohibited from engaging in interracial marriages, receiving higher education, and obtaining certain jobs. The National Party’s classification of “race” was loosely based on physical appearance and lineage. White individuals were superficially defined as being “obviously white'' on the basis of their “habits, education and speech as well as deportment and demeanor”; an

Oppression is at the root of many of the most serious, enduring conflicts in the world today. Racial and religious conflicts; conflicts between dictatorial governments and their citizens; the battle between the sexes; conflicts between management and labor; and conflicts between heterosexuals and homosexuals all stem, in whole or in part, to oppression. It’s similar to an article in south africa that people have with racial segregation between black and white . Many people need to know that indiviual have their own rights in laws and freedom . Everyone should have an equal rights and better community . A black person would be of or accepted as a member of an African tribe or race, and a colored person is one that is not black or white. The Department of Home Affairs (a government bureau) was responsible for the classification of the citizenry. Non-compliance with the race laws were dealt with harshly. All blacks were required to carry ``pass books ' ' containing fingerprints, photo and information on access to non-black areas. The apartheid in South Africa which was in effect from 1948 until 1994 was not only a racist policy which greatly affected the quality of life of minorities in the country for the worse but was a outright crime against humanity. It include with civil right that violence verses non-violence that the government could or