Civil Unrest Protests

Reflections on Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience: a Nation coming of age Reading Henry David Thoreau’s essay Civil Disobedience (1849) I find a parallelism between his thoughts and the coming of age of the United States as a nation. This piece was originally delivered as a speech before the Concord Lyceum in January of 1848 on the subject "On the Relation of the Individual to the State", and published under the title Resistance to Civil Government in Elizabeth Peabody's Aesthetic Papers, in May 1849. Thoreau wrote it from a personal experience: in 1846 he had been imprisoned for not paying his taxes as a protest for the actions of the government because he opposed slavery and the Mexican War. This essay is part of the literary period called The

There are three solutions that need to be introduced in order to correct the problems caused by protest riots. If police officers change their approach when dealing with protests, there is a smaller chance that a protest will escalate into a riot. Also if there are hidden cameras implanted around the community and inside policer officer uniforms more people will be caught for their actions.If rioters embrace a more peaceful approach toward social injustices, they will be higher regarded by the general public.

Since the beginning of american history there have been peaceful and non peaceful protests. These protests have had valuable effects on American society such as Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks have impacted society greatly and for the better. In my opinion peaceful protests still have negative effects though they are immensely more appropriate than non peaceful protests because peaceful protests often turn violent because people don't know how to act for example Trump Protests.

From its conception, the United States of America has been in a very unique position of being able to develop in any fashion. Under another group of intelligent minds it could have been far different from the democratic-republic that we know it to be today. A key factor in the

Protesting unjust ideals and unjust treatments has been a part of world history since the first humans walked the Earth. Many people would say that the majority of these protests have bettered the human race and the future of all people. The text, “Waiting for Dan”, takes place in the Civil Rights Movement, where many people were protesting against segregation. The text, “A Letter Home” takes place after a protest against the Vietnam War leads to bloodshed. Although these protests are taking place for different reasons, they can be seen as similar. Then again, they are also drastically different.

Frankly, how does one physically approve to oppose a law peacefully? We live in a society where the young still protests using words, and by marching. If we take a look at today's current issue of the newly elected President, Donald Trump, we can see that there is still protesters who don't use physical fight contact. They march until the destination and give speeches. It's like they are aiming for a certain audience or a certain person to listen to their speech and make a change towards that. By examining protests that uses peaceful resistance, non-violence and through communication of literature, it's clear that we continue supporting the protesters who have their statements to be made.

Civil unrest, also known as “civil disorder” is defined as: A term used by law enforcement to describe unrest that cause by a group of people or organization usually in contempt of a law or regulation related to a sociopolitical issues. Civil unrest is a direct result of the misconduct and mistrust of the government and police departments. According to FatalEncounters.org a different investigation is being pursued by the United States justice department due to possible civil rights violations as well as an investigation into unethical racial disparities in violation of the fourth amendment by the Ferguson, Cleveland, and Albuquerque police departments. These incidences can be hard to swallow for many citizens, however there is another problem with tracing maltreatment of citizens by law enforcement and that is faulty and inconsistent reporting. Most incidents of excessive, unnecessary force go unreported and

If there were a power that ruled with only fear and violence as its fuel, what would be the best way to counter such a force? The answer is with peaceful resistance. When an unjust rule is imposed upon a person, as philosopher Henry David Thoreau puts it in his essay Resistance to Civil Government, “the true place for a just man is also a prison.” Peaceful resistance, also commonly referred to as “Civil Disobedience,” is the act of disobeying a law that is perceived as unjust in a civil manner, while accepting all consequences that come with it.

Throughout history activism has stood as how citizens would petition for changes in government. It served as the catalysts that would push forward justice and necessary changes. The most popular version of activism is civil disobedience, where a protestor will break the laws that he or she deems unfair in the attempt to bring to light how the system is broken. However, in recent times civil disobedience and activism have seemingly earned a bad reputation as annoying and at times un-American. Protestors will face uncivility from others who see no problem will the law, they will face prejudice from the law and they will face jail time determined by the law. In order to protect the First Amendment and allow for positive changes to occur in society,

The act of disobeying a certain law of this constitutional government has become quite controversial as of late, most times with due cause. Most would say that disobedience in the culture we cultivate today has zero impact, negative or otherwise. This is simply not the case. It matters not to the person committing the act the consequences that befall, but the judgement that follows befouls our entire image as a society, making us look weak by comparison. While the actions taken against the seemingly unjust laws in the recent weeks have by no means been peaceful, the reasons for such actions cannot be judged to be entirely unfounded. For example, president Trump’s executive decision to move forward on the Dakota Pipeline has been fought to the highest degree by the protesters against such a crime

Throughout history, there have been a plethora of laws that have fallen under serious scrutiny. Whether these laws are interpreted as just or unjust depends on each individual’s moral standing. As everyone has their own opinions on what may be considered right or wrong, civil disobedience can be an

When governments take unjustifiable actions and the people of the country rebel in a nonviolent manner the leaders of the country rethink their actions for the country to not cause any wars, after all , what’s a government with no one to govern? Over the years there have been many protests that have led to great outcomes for the people of the country. An example showing this is the Rosa Parks Bus Boycott which is when Rosa Parks, an African-American woman, refused to give up her seat on the front of the bus to a white man . This is an example of peaceful resistance to law because at the time it was illegal for black people to sit in the front of the bus with white people. This, later on, led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott which then got equal rights for all people including African-Americans.

We cannot turn on our televisions or get on social media without hearing about recent protests. Some peaceful and some violent, but what difference do the two make? We all have seen riots and we’ve seen how they can end: a spray of rubber bullets, dogs digging their teeth into screaming people’s legs, and the trashing of public places. We’ve seen the sit-ins and marches filled with people that have no fear in holding their signs high and proud. To some violence seems like the only answer, but the results are not as rewarding nor as long lasting. Although some may believe violence is the only answer they are turning a blind eye because nonviolent protests are more successful, get more government support, and gather more civilians around the cause.

Civil disobedience is a form of political participation because it is a way make others see that change is wanted. In the Constitution it says “the right of the people peaceably to assemble”. The Constitution gives the people the right to protest, assemble peacefully, to oppose a law,

Fifty-Three people dead, over 3000 injured, and over 8000 people arrested. One of America’s most famous cities is crumbling right in front of the country’s eyes (Newkirk, 1). Cars line the street, engulfed in flames. Store windows and doors, completely smashed, covering the sidewalks with dangerous shards of glass, people running on top of it, as if they did not notice it digging into their feet. Angry mobs blocked intersections in South Los Angeles, tearing drivers from their cars and beating them (Banks, 1). Over one billion of the city’s dollars lost to arson and looting (Newkirk 1). The LA riots are some of the most iconic and deadly violent protests in United States’ history. Protests-when they go berserk-cause an immense amount of destruction and loss of both money and lives. Even though protests are protected under the First Amendment Right as the freedom to assemble, safety should always come before freedom.