Civil Disobedience's Negative Impact On Our Free Society

In summation, civil disobedience is a tool that has been used to improve our freedoms through the decades. It has allowed for peaceful ways for the people to stand up for something they believe in. As Henry David Thoreau said, “The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time, what I think is right.” That is what makes a society free, the ability to disagree with others,

How does the social responsibility of intellectuals to demonstrate civil disobedience differ from Lincoln and MLK’s time and today as demonstrated by Black lives matter and Antifa

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.

In a free society, civil disobedience can bring to light certain ideas that others might not think of with their own sets of beliefs, offering another perspective to consider when deciding just how to govern a country. Looking back in our own history, our country has been formed through civil disobedience, observing acts such as the Rosa Parks incident which had fueled the Civil Rights movements years ago; even looking as far back at the Tea Party, in which that certain event had led to our eventual freedom from Great Britain. However, in our current society, certain acts that people label as 'Civil Disobedience' are actually acts that set us back as a country in terms of acceptance and forward progress.

Civil disobedience positively impacts a free society for several reasons. Not everything the government does will be accepted by those who know their rights. Protesting peacefully can bring a nation together and get the unimaginable accomplished just by unity. For example, Dr. King practiced protesting without the use of violence and today he is known as the most influential civil rights activist to ever live. He led peaceful marches with thousands of comrades, holding signs condemning the nation of all of the racial injustice.Change just can't happen over night, one must persevere and stand up for what is right no matter what people say. Without people like Dr. King we would still be living in a very much racist white driven world. We must

A common argument amongst many citizens in America is whether or not peaceful resistance, or civil disobedience positively or negatively impacts a free society. With numerous examples of civil disobedience occurring in the past, it is easy to see how America was affected by these acts. America has progressed since her founding, especially since people have started to take a stand in what they believe in. Civil disobedience can positively affect a society through making others aware of an issue and sparking an urge for change.

Civil disobedience impacts a free society in a good way because the people have the right to stand up for what they believe is right. Civil disobedience means that people peacefully assemble to protest. There have been many people who have civilly disobeyed by participating in protests, marches, and speeches. Most of the speeches, protests and marches usually don’t get out of hand because they’re trying to peacefully assemble. There have been times in history where people were taking part in civil disobedience and have been mistreated for standing up for something. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. used to peacefully assemble by making speeches and marching from town to town. Cesar Chavez did the same with Mexicans during the sixties; he

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.

Civil disobedience is America’s way of growing. Without historical examples, such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, the United States would be stuck in antebellum ways of thought. The caveat of these national heroes was that they were peaceful. They did nothing to cause harm or damage. That made a point to their followers as well as their antagonists. In modern times, there are those that follow the rules of peaceful protesting (like the Women’s March on January 21, 2017). On the other hand, you have those who hide behind the term “civil disobedience” to cause destruction and chaos (like the UC Berkeley riots on February 1, 2017). Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts society, but violent resistance masquerading as civil disobedience is tearing our country, once united, to shreds.

Civil disobedience has a positive impact on society. This act brings about much needed change and helps a entire class of people. When Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. were fighting for civil rights for African Americans, following the law would have never taken them anywhere. If Rosa Parks had stood up and moved for that white man, the bus boycott would not have happened and that had a huge part on changing the segregation laws. Laws wouldn't change unless people fought for the change in them. Recently, the same sex couples were granted their right to marry each other. If people just sat around and waited for the law to change, it never would have. People got out and fought for their right to be married.People would stand outside the court

Branches of the government needed to be balanced, states and the federal government need to maintain checks, and most of all, the people need to be able to have checks on the government and civil disobedience allows for that. One of the most prime examples of this took place in the mid 1900’s with the sit-ins and other protests for race equality. The people did not agree with what the government believed and so they went against it. They faced extreme opposition but stayed true to what they believed in and what they thought was best for the country and it paid off. Had the people not went against the grain and fought for what was right then the federal government would have no reason to change anything. Another extremely successful instance of this took place recently with the Keystone-XL Pipeline. People fought for over two years to go against what they considered to be the unnecessary destruction of protected land for profit and a step backwards in terms of the use of fossil fuels. Their efforts finally paid off on December 10th, 2016 when the construction on the pipeline was completely shut down. This never would have been stopped had it not been for the people protesting for what they believed in. But, not every act of civil disobedience is as effective. A very recent instance of this is shown through the Donald Trump protests. Thousands upon thousands of people crowded the streets after the recent election results enraged and hoping for a different result. They stormed social media, calling for a recount and threatening to leave the country based on the results. But, the majority of the population believed otherwise which meant that changes could not be made. While this makes some believe that civil disobedience is a completely ineffective act made for no reason other than to give people a false

Civil disobedience is a product of free speech, which has allowed for regular citizens to voice their grievances with laws they deem unjust. The use of civil disobedience has had paramount effects on our society; although whether these effects are positive has stirred some discussion. Numerous arguments have been made on how civil disobedience is detrimental in a world propped up on law and order. However, peaceful resistance to unrighteous laws can only benefit society unequivocally.

According to the Oxford Dictionary, civil disobedience is defined as “the refusal to comply with certain laws considered unjust, as a peaceful form of political protest.” Throughout the ages, civil disobedience has been an ideal essential to democracy, to republic, to freedom. Yet is it truly a positive influence for a free society? Violent acts have been done under the label “civil disobedience” and been praised. Despite the sometimes abusive acts that have been undertaken in the name of civil disobedience, it has an overwhelmingly positive effect on free society, allowing for tangible action against injustice and oppression.

Many people ask what civil disobedience is. Civil disobedience, or peaceful resistance, is the act of peacefully or nonviolently breaking a law that is viewed as unjust or unfair. In some people’s eyes, civil disobedience is a positive for society, but in other people’s eyes it is negative. In my eyes, civil disobedience is a positive for society for many reasons.

Civil disobedience is a way for individuals to come together in an attempt to make a change for the greater good. It’s a way for society to gradually progress peacefully. Without Martin Luther King Junior or Rosa Park’s act of civil disobedience, African Americans may still be enslaved. Without civil disobedience we would be complacent, if everyone followed along with the rules all of the time without any protest then no progress could be made. If people followed orders all of the time then we might end up in a situation like the Holocaust. The Germans obeyed Hitler’s every order which led to the wrongful death of millions of people.