Civil Disobedience In America

Civil disobedience allows citizens in the free society of the United States to express their opinions in a way that is sure to evoke governmental attention, while enlightening the public

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 has gained a significant number of people their rights and continues to make a difference. Defiance has inspired a generous amount of change in the world around us, and provided frequent opportunities for creation.Without our capacity to disobey, we would never have been able to question authority and make incredible advancements in science. We would not have even created our own country. Although some rules can help to prevent situations total anarchy, disobedience has unequivocally had a major positive impact on

The concept of civil disobedience has been around for ages. Evolving and changing from the time of Socrates and appearing in different parts of the world like India. Henry David Thoreau ( 1869–1948) was the person who first gave this concept a name and used it. He viewed the war against the United States and Mexico as the south’s way to expand slavery. He had already stopped paying his taxes as an act of protest against slavery but when he publicly criticized the U.S. invasion of Mexico, he was jailed under

In American history, civil disobedience has been a key technique to initiate change in the areas like the Civil Rights Movement and the Women’s Suffrage Movement. In both of these movements the activists followed the basic

The United States of America was founded by rebellious English men, who would not stand for inequality. As time progressed, the rebellions shifted from wars full of bloodshed to peaceful protest and civil disobedient. Many people feel that civil disobedience is wrong ways to act on issues. A greater amount of Americans feel that civil disobedience is the strongest and most effective way to get change to the issues. I agree that civil disobedience shakes America into making a deliberate change.

Through the libertarian principle of “non-aggression” people who act out against the government accepting the legal ramifications of their actions inspires others to cry out against tyranny. In The Case against Civil Disobedience the author implores civil disobedience “is an altogether secondary and derivative matter, scarcely capable of being put in a form that is not contradictory, shallow and feeble guide to action.” Was demanding the Fifteenth Amendment be upheld in society to allow for the African American vote and women’s suffrage shallow? America is a country where “all men are created equal”, the citizens not being able to exercise their right to vote freely is contradictory to the original value of the country. Martin Luther King Jr. while in jail wrote “In any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of the facts to determine whether injustices exist; negotiation; self purification; and direct action.” King was arrested because the local court ruled his protesting was illegal in the city of Birmingham. The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights clearly states, “Congress shall make no law [...] abridging the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.” This process to civil disobedience is still being used today. The Dakota Pipeline protests are legal, however 74 people have been arrested for setting up an illegal camp, since it was on private property. These people view the sacred lands, the purity of the environment is more important than using natural resources. Their actions on paper are illegal, but by following King’s process of a “nonviolent campaign” illustrate peaceful civil disobedience protects free society from the government’s hold on laws and

Civil disobedience and peaceful resistance to laws have instigated within our country, in so many instances, much-needed change. The Boston Tea Party, the Suffragettes, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights movement are only a few examples of times that civil disobedience has redefined our country. Without peaceful resistance to laws on moral or political grounds, the citizens of the United States would not have many of the freedoms we value.

Boycotts. Labor Resistance. Sit-Ins. Protests. Blockades. Debt Refusals. Tax Resistance. Civil disobedience has been a prominent form of influencing governmental policy and law to accept differing perspectives. Since the birth of the nation–beginning with the Boston Tea Party and continuing into modern movements such as the women’s suffrage–the United States relies on civil disobedience in order to keep governmental growth from becoming stagnant and aiding in the optimization of benefits for its citizens. Civil disobedience is an intentional, non-violent act against the state exercised by those banned from exerting power with the purpose of bringing equality, moral conviction, an upright criminal justice system, and extensive action. Although civil disobedience invalidates governmental authority, it is a necessary trade off for the protection of liberty guaranteed by the first amendment. Civil disobedience, as a recognized procedure, is an obligation for all citizens to combat injustice among legislature.

As compatriots of the United States, it is our responsibility and commitment to overthrow any type of social or civil injustice. In that process, we as American’s must ensure our rights by practicing a form of civil disobedience. In other words, we should not remain quiet in the roars of prejudice against a certain group of people. Leaders that derive from the civil rights movements like Martin Luther King Jr, Cesar Chavez, Malcolm X, Eleanor Roosevelt, and others have shown us that nothing we want will come into our laps, as humans we must work for the things that we want. In 1950’s through the 1960’s, there was a wave of activist who fought their way to the end of civil injustice, many used their orating skills and others recruited members

Just as with Gandhi or Rosa Parks, many view the protestors, standing non-violently for themselves, as criminals, hurting industry, and causing a disturbance for everyday Americans. When business in an already harmful industry becomes more important than sacred sites and potentially human lives, civil disobedience is necessary to spark change.

Even though civil disobedience may not offer the most effective techniques for political change, it may be the only one available when all other forms of political participation have failed. The educated and responsible individual will need judge if normal political processes are thoroughly exhausted and proved ineffective, warranting peaceful civil disobedience and justifying the adverse impacts to society. The decision-making process that our democracy is based requires the legal give and take of participating groups. When any number of politically available methods have not had an effect, the positive impacts of civil disobedience outweigh the negative ones for consideration as an alternative. Civil disobedience has successfully been used to advocate for racial equality, individual rights, and the environment in America, and continues to be a pathway for the disenfranchised minority to invoke change, far outweighing the negative consequences and costs to

From demolishing slavery to succeeding in African American and women's suffrage, the equality our nation pride's itself on owes much thanks to our right to peaceful demonstrations. Following this recent election I think that civil disobedience will be examined heavily once again as an increasing amount of citizens have begun to participate in recent protests and marches in reaction to the president's actions. Similar to the motivation of key people before us such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, the unfaltering mission stemming from each of these protests or marches is an inexplicable fear of an abuse of power on individual

Civil disobedience has always been a controversial topic that will never stop being discussed because it is an outlet for citizens to exercise their democracy. Throughout history, there have been a plethora of acts of civil disobedience that have shaped America into the country that it is today. Peaceful resistance to laws positively impact a free society because it allows those in authority to see that the rules that are in place are unfair and by doing this, those that are resisting the laws incite positive change in the society that they live in.

Disobedience has proven to be a successful means of promoting social progress. Martin Luther King Jr used peaceful means of rebellion, such as boycotting busses and sit-ins, to help repair some of America’s most discriminating Laws and regulations. These acts were successful because they were well thought and dignified protests. Then in turn, the protests gained support and the movement grew in strength. The protests did not attack the power they were defying, but simply stood up for the message they were trying send. A protest is a highly effective way to defy a social power by gaining attention. However, when protests begin to attack the power at bay, attention can turn negative quickly and actually hinder public support that pushes social change.