Civil Disobedience Pros And Cons

Peaceful resistance to laws is one of the strongest and most important foundations of a free society. Countless peaceful demonstrations have been led in the history of the United States, with positive outcomes that have helped shape the country.

Civil disobedience is a crucial part of any free society, especially a society that wishes to give its citizens the most liberty possible. Looking back on American history, one can see that the colonists originally protested the laws that Britain had imposed, and had done so peacefully. By not paying taxes and by assembling outside public offices, the colonists disobeyed British laws and the British crown. Their protests not only helped spark the American Revolution, but also made light of the fact that any free society relies on its citizens to disobey the government, especially when it's done peacefully.

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

Peaceful protests, that is a protest without violence, are a way to try and persuade those in power to enact or not enact a certain law. This is known as acts of civil disobedience. A typical example of this are rallies or protests against something, where people gather peacefully for or against the same thing. People engaging in civil disobedience could also engage in vows of silence, marching, fasting, and many other peaceful ways to stand up against the inequalities or injustices that they are experiencing. The reason that this is done and is important is because the other option is to violently protest or cause more problems. This is not a good way to go about it because even if it comes from a justified place of hurt or anger, it could result in more harm and arrests than are already happening. Even if theses protests or marches get intense, fights breaking out can happen but the goal is always to be nonviolent. The reasons that civil disobedience is seen in such a negative light is because many people equate it to the violent examples. They view it as the people who are violently protesting, getting pepper sprayed and arrested by cops. Even that isn’t a justified opinion because those people getting paper sprayed and arrested often times are

Thomas Jefferson clearly stated in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Exactly what Jefferson meant by Liberty in this statement was unclear and has been subject of great debate over the years. There is further examination of the use of the word Liberty in the U.S. Constitution. It was stated in Amendment I, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Therefore, by Constitutional law, it is legal to exercise ones right of peaceful civil disobedience. I believe peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society. This is due to the fact that it exercises the rights we are given in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Two documents that run, support, and are the foundation or our nation.

Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts our free society. It allows us to make our voices heard and spread a message if there is a law that we find is either unfair or goes against our protected freedoms. Peaceful resistance has helped our country grow on multiple occasions. It has always been a part of our countries history and is well protected by our First Amendment rights. Due to this, There is little to know doubt that peaceful resistance has positively effected the lives of many Americans.

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 of America was founded with the remarkable purpose of unifying a multitude of states-homes to citizens all of cultures and beliefs-whom shared a similar goal of creating a life of freedom and prosperity. In order to secure structure and solidity within an entire nation, it has always been extremely vital to maintain a regulatory government with a strong constitution to represent its citizens as a whole. However, the government can often represent the character of the American man in a way which misinterprets his very intentions. When morals and ethics are found to be void within our governmental institution, and it then becomes a “corporation without conscious”, civil disobedience can be the vital key in awakening human emotions

The relationship between government and citizen is one much contested throughout history. Which is best: oligarchy, anarchy, democracy, or autocracy? When considering America’s government, the Founding Fathers instituted a republic. The rule of law is the cornerstone of a republic. However, due to mankind’s selfish nature, policymakers will inevitably pass unjust legislation. Thus, a republic’s welfare does not rely on absolute obedience to just and unjust laws alike. Rather, it permits civil disobedience, defined as the act of opposing a law one considers unjust and peacefully disobeying it while accepting the consequences. Some people, however, disagree, believing that civil disobedience does not allow for a stable society.

Peaceful resistance in today's society is counted as just as bad as violent riots. As Americans with our constitutional rights should have the ability to peacefully resist anything that we find unjust but within current events it is seen as being a criminal for showing your opinion. I believe that peaceful resistance should have a positive impact on our country and that it should be seen as powerful rather than as weakness caused by the displeasure of events. As a country it is our job to take into consideration the rights and beliefs of all rather than few. For example within my own community there was a peaceful resistance or peaceful protest at our local university in which around 70 to 100 people were arrested simply for showing their

In society, we currently go through a lot of controversies that one could object to. One of the controversies that we face in society is how people with a certain viewpoint feel about non-violent protests (i.e. Civil Disobedience). Civil disobedience, a concept adopted from 1Thoreau Essay: Resistance from Civil Government published in 1849, defines this ‘’as the active, professed refusal of a citizen to obey certain laws of the state and/or demands, orders, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power.’’ During this time, he wrote this essay because he believed that individuals should not let government officials take over their consciences. He also showed his hatred for slavery and the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) which motivated him to write this paper.

One of the distinguishing principles that has separated American Democracy from the rest of the world is the right to enjoy immense and unprecedented freedoms, whilst still enjoying protections from government. American government has protected, and continues to protect, our unalienable rights, while many other governments have historically, tried to strip their people’s rights. Many of the rights we enjoy are used to keep our own government in check. The government cannot infringe upon our right to speak out against it, protest it in the streets, or write literature against it. All of these rights are important to maintaining, and controlling, our democratic system. The right to peacefully

The first reason on why civil disobedience is effective because it gets the point out without violence. An example of a person who got their point across without fighting was Gandhi. An example of Gandhi getting the point across without any violence was that Gandhi and his followers went on a 240 mile march to Dandi in order to get salt(Sinha 1.) This is important because the indian’s didnt fighting back as the british hit the india's as the indian’s kept on picking up the salt. The British then arrested thousands of indians but they didn’t arrest Gandhi showed many british people that indian's don't care what happens with them. After this event the British removed the heavy tax on salt which showed that india can possibly get their freedom. This shows that the indian’s believe in getting freedom

Peaceful resistance and civil disobedience are acts that can shape a nation. These acts are used to peacefully protest laws or recent events that were unjust or proper justice was not given. Sometimes these acts are required in order for a change to be made to an unjust law or event. Often times these acts can be seen as bad or violent, but they aren't. As long as they are peaceful, these acts are not bad. Peaceful acts of protest invoke thoughtful consideration of the event or law the protest is calling attention to. In the end, civil disobedience and peaceful resistance can positively impact the nation in which they are being demonstrated in.

Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society because it empowers the people to speak out, it serves as a reminder that government is in the hands of the citizens, and it is the courageous way to publicize one’s opinion without violence. The evidence of the positive impact of Civil Disobedience is deep in the roots of American History, written on the sweaty brows of the feather-bedecked Patriots hoisting tea overboard in Boston; and sung in notes of the song, “We Shall Overcome”, by protesters being beaten and arrested at Selma. The very founding of America was an act of Civil Disobedience, as our forefathers penned the Declaration of Independence, defying Britain’s law and control. Over and over throughout history, groups have