Compare And Contrast Civil Disobedience

Civil Disobedience has been around for hundreds of years. This a practice first put into play by a man by the name of Henry David Thoreau who believed that if you didn’t agree with a rule then you should act against it in a nonviolent way, and be willing to accept any punishment that comes with it. His teachings were followed by famous activists such as Ghandi, and Martin Luther King Jr., and many others.

Civil disobedience has been used to peacefully protest for change for decades. The idea that it is acceptable to rebel against injustice is one that is fundamental to the very start of our nation. The American Revolution, while not a non-violent rebellion, is an example of fighting for something that is believed to be right. It is from here that the idea of civil disobedience stemmed, and from here which it grew. Henry David Thoreau illustrated the need for civil disobedience when he said, “The authority of government… [,] to be strictly just must have the consent of the governed.” The changes that have been brought about by this kind of peaceful protest have changed our world for the better. I believe that civil disobedience is something that

Civil disobedience is the refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest. In this essay I will be comparing the Ohio poor People's Campaign to the instances in SELMA. The 40-day poor People's Campaign featured numerous events centered around non-violent activism. Stated in the article ¨Fifty years ago , Martin Luther King Jr. advocated for Americans living in poverty¨. Which was called the ¨Poor People's Campaign¨. The difference between the two is that SELMA was willing to fight for the right to vote and the poor People's Campaign protested to pass a $15 minimum wage, keep SNAP, and Medicaid expansion.

Civil disobedience is defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary as "a refusal to obey governmental commands especially as a nonviolent means of protest."(Jacobus) We can see an example of this in U.S. history, when this theory was applied during the Civil Right Movement. The laws back then restricted African Americans from being able to attend public schools or use public restrooms that were designated as "white only." Even though they had paid taxes like everyone else, these types of segregation laws targeted minorities and made them second-rate citizens. Martin Luther King, who was sincere in exposing

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

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

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.

Civil disobedience is the refusal to conform to a society or a set of laws. Civil disobedience has come a long way from its beginning. It has been developing and will continue for generations to come, as it is considered a duty of a person. The opinions and beliefs of civil disobedience cultured in our society by both Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. are still present in our modern-day society; nevertheless, these opinions and beliefs still need to be expanded in order to keep up with the fast-growing population.

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.

Time is always moving forward. It stops for no one. Therefore, societies that stick to obsolete ideas will find themselves unable to adapt and survive, whereas those that embrace change enjoy the chance to thrive. From the Civil Rights Movement in the sixties to the removal of the Confederate Flag from the South Carolina Capitol in response to recent happenings, these changes are often enacted by members of society that dare to seek new ideals and are achieved by those that are brave enough to pursue the path that leads to it. Civil disobedience positively affects a free society because allows individuals to express their beliefs and provides a stage for their cries to be heard.

Civil disobedience is the refusal to obey laws, in hopes to get them changed for the better of humanity/ civilization of that specific or general community. Malala Yousafzai is a great example of civil disobedience. The whole reason she was shot in 2012 was because she dared to ‘fight’ back against the taliban by going to school and trying to make other countries aware of the harm that the taliban was causing to the homes and lives of her people.

In the pieces Henry David Thoreau “Civil Disobedience” and Martin Luther King Jr. “Letter From Birmingham Jail” both analyze civil disobedience through their own experiences on the way that were runned. They both not only analyze but seem to question whether to trust who can run the government with the governments true intentions being questionable. In Thoreau “Civil Disobedience” he questions the morals of how the government sees its people, to them only having us being seen as machines they can just control which is crossing between ruling and being unjust. In MLK’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail” he also explores and questions on not how the city or ‘government’ is ran, but rather the men who run it, using the experiences that he himself along with his fellow community have gone through from the segregation of the clergyman and the states. Civil disobedience is seen as a way to go against the government, a way to voice out the people’s opinion for a call of change. An idea that is still used today which has developed the nation into what we are now, a nation that states their beliefs for the whole world to see and know.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. once said, “The nonviolent approach does not immediately change the heart of the oppressor. It first does something to the hearts and souls of those committed to it. It gives them new self-respect; it calls up resources of strength and courage they did not know they had”. (King) The conflicts met between the Civil Rights Movement protesters and the white people of the South were incredibly gruesome. While peace and equality for African Americans was the driving force of the protests, violence and inhuman resistance was the force of the white people. In the March Trilogy Books, written by John Lewis and Andrew Aydin, and in the movie Selma, written by Paul Webb and directed by Ava DuVernay, we are given a

Civil Disobedience is a practice that's being used as far back as times of discrimination against blacks in the south. Even though slavery had been completely gotten rid of in the United States, the south still hated blacks with a passion. This led to the creation of Jim Crow laws, laws that looked as though they were helping blacks but really hurt them. Blacks had finally had enough and decided they would try and get equal rights one way or another, so they started politely disobeying the laws. In the 50's, a black man named Homer Adolph Plessy sat in a white train car because of the law he heard about, "Equal protection under the law" and he was arrested for doing so. This led to the creation of the "Separate but Equal" law.

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, and to criticize a law. Civil disobedience is the best way to show that you don’t agree with a law, government, or there is something you would like to protest.