Civil Disobedience In Society

Disobedience and Rebellion are human traits that promote social progress in our society. For example, the Civil Rights movement was a time where social equality was not present and in order for it to be obtained, rebellion and disobedience had to be used. Rosa Parks was a civil rights activists who caused The Montgomery Bus Boycott. This event occurred because Rosa Parks had rejected to give up her seat to a white person which was widely frowned upon. The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a political protest that went against the segregation policy of the transport system and occurred from December 5, 1955 to December 20, 1956. On all city transportation in Montgomery, African Americans were to remain in the back of all trains and buses so whenever Rosa Parks had sat in the front it caused major upheaval. Many people had claimed that Rosa Parks didn’t give up her seat because she was tired but according to Rosa Parks, “I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a

Brilliantly put by what many deem to be America’s greatest president of all time, Abraham Lincoln, “Let every man remember that to violate the law is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the charter of his own and his children’s liberty.” Civil disobedience is defined as the refusal to comply with certain laws as a form of political protest. Although many may argue that this is the sole way to keep the government in check and to make minorities heard, rational people will realize that it is not this disrespect of the law that proves the democracy of our nation.

If we take a closer look at civil disobedience, we can better understand what it means, its goals, and its outcomes. Civil disobedience predominantly exists as direct and non-violent government defiance. Instead of voicing an opinion with a vote or a simple conversation, civil disobedience stands up for what is right using an individual’s whole influence. Therefore, some sacrifices regarding the legality of actions are made in order to preserve the integrity of the mission. In other words, why should a protester follow the law that they are trying to alter? That doesn’t make much sense, therefore civil disobedience allows unjust laws to be broken for the greater good. This method is very effective if, for example, a minority is attempting to

What is civil disobedience? Civil disobedience is the opposing of a law one finds unjust by refusing to follow it and accepting the consequences. So many people have performed acts of civil disobedience from Martin Luther King Jr. to everyday people. But what people did as civil disobedience a hundred years ago is completely different today. It is such an important part of a free society because it helps to define what a free society is, shows the true meaning of freedom of speech, and shows the government that citizens are not willing to follow an unjust law without violence.

While growing up, our parents taught us what was right and what was wrong based on their beliefs and views. When we were younger, we were taught to follow and obey those who were older than us and possessed a higher authoritative status. One’s reasoning for being obedient includes: religious beliefs, background, and work ethics. Civil disobedience played a large role in America. Creating protests, riots, and sit-ins, America had many examples of disobedience. In America, we value our rights as citizens and individuals. We have the right to protest as stated in the first amendment of the United States Constitution, which is called Freedom of Speech. According to the Webster Dictionary, civil disobedience is said to be “the refusal to obey government demands or commands and nonresistance to consequent arrest and punishment.” Citizens are willing to accept the legal consequences associated with their disobedient actions. How does the law respond to people who engage in civil disobedience? Fining and jail time are the legal consequences enforced by authority but also there is a trend of change. I believe civil disobedience is justified simply by your own personal beliefs and the rights you attain as a citizen. The law is the law, if you disobey; the authoritative figure is responsible for giving a consequence.

One of the most famous acts of peaceful disobedience was by Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks went against the Jim Crow laws and would not give up her seat for a white man, who was at the time her superior because she was a black woman. She was arrested because she refused. When she was arrested, it sparked the protest of all public busses that lasted over a year, which was led by Martin Luther King, Jr. This also created a court case against “Alabama’s discriminatory laws” that was taken to the

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 has been used by the people to get the attention of their government and to hopefully inspire change. Civil disobedience is an act of refusal by a large group of people against certain laws. From Ghandi to Martin Luther King Jr, people have used civil disobedience to enact change. While the concept of civil disobedience has been around for centuries, it hasn’t been called civil disobedience until recently. Protest, rallies, boycotting and worker strikes are forms of civil disobedience. Civil disobedience has been used for social change too. For example, the suffragettes, Rosa Parks and marches to legalize gay marriage have had social ramifications. Civil disobedience can be used to change laws, it publicizes important changes but it can be overshadowed by violence. Civil disobedience is a good way to change laws because it’s usually peaceful, brings attention to controversial laws and brings about social change.

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.

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.

1)In my perspective, I have divergent thoughts on my stances, it’s like approaching a situation where you don’t know what to do. In society’s, there are different sort of people, each person has their own rationality; different attachments; If everyone started to conclude for whatever they felt was right or wrong there would be chaos, after all we don’t live in a perfect world. In the course of history this has led to dilemmas even today in our sadistic world, people have been told that their judgment just isn’t right; there own beliefs which they have made every decision in their life just isn’t good enough for society’s set norms. I believe that we don’t have the right to ignore laws, but we have the power to fight against laws that are unjust.

Martin Luther King Jr to devote their life’s to practice civil disobedience to achieve their goal. Practicing such act can costs its leader their life’s (M.LK), imprisonment (Nelson Mandela), or exile (Martin Luther). In addition, it takes generation after generation to feel the progress their ancestors have started. Without the great minds that stand up for us, we would all be slaves today. Nowadays, the powerful that rule us are getting weaker and weaker thanks to historical figures who stood against them. Civil disobedience is in a man’s natural instinct, when unalienable rights become violated/removed, then individuals will stand up and fight for them. Disobedience has the greatest effect when it is done in peaceful terms, rather than by the sword. Gandhi is a perfect example for this practice. He led millions of Hindus to peacefully resist against the all mighty British army. He simply sat down and waited for the results to happen, which they did, India received its independence. In today’s society, disobedience is approached the improper way and instead of progressing, these so called leaders are losing its followers and diminishing the value of disobedience.

Disobedience can be seen in many forms, but the most astonishing form of disobedience is when one goes against the rules and comes out being more spectacular subsequently to when one follows the rules and allows the system of society to define their true purpose and potential for the sake of good for all. Looking at the past, we know that disobedience has always been seen as a behavior in which “non-civil” humans act, those who are less thought of and have no meaning in society, but for most part disobedience has had a positive effect on us and our country all we have to do is take a glance at history. Reminiscing about our history we can recall iconic figures who defined the rules and showed civil disobedience by standing up against the odds,

Webster defines civil disobedience as the refusal to obey government commands or demands in a nonviolent and generally collective means of forcing concessions of the government. This has been a long-standing institution within democracy since it’s inception. Many argue that the start of the American Revolution was founded upon acts of civil disobedience such as the Boston Tea Party. This sort of peaceful opposition resonates constantly throughout history, whether it be through the fasting and teachings of Mahatma Gandhi in protest of British imperialism, or during the more recent protests at several large international airports in which protestors sought to oppose the newly elected President Trump and show solidarity with middle eastern refugees.

When you think of civil disobedience, you will most likely also think of Rosa Parks or Henry David Thoreau as prime examples. As a society, we tend to believe that civil disobedience was a way people stood up for what they believed in back in the day. We fail to acknowledge the more recent examples taking place all around us, like with Edward Snowden’s 2013 leak of classified NSA documents. We also assume that now that so many rights have been granted and so many causes have been fought for, civil disobedience is no longer prevalent. However, this mindset is far from the truth. Currently, on a daily basis, individuals still actively oppose the laws they disagree with in hopes of proving a point. Civil disobedience has somehow become the way to express oneself. While it may occasionally be effective, it seems to lead to more disruption than results. Therefore,