Constitutional Right Of Protest

In 2017 alone, there have been multiple riots born of originally peaceful protests. Students in Middlebury College in Vermont revolted at a peaceful debate with far-right Charles Murray. While Murray tried to reach his building, a mob formed, forcing him and his debate-partner, Allison Stanger, to move to another building (Beinhart np). When Murray and Stanger tried to leave, they and the car they were in were attacked by students. The leftist Stanger was sent to the emergency room because she tried to protect the guest (Fatzick np). In Berkeley, California, students were up in arms, wanting to prevent Milo Yiannopoulos from speaking. Their haste to silence a man they disagreed with led to a huge disaster. In the streets, fellow classmates were attacked. One student who supported President Trump was brutally beaten, and an innocent bystander who claimed to be Muslim was assaulted for “looking like a Nazi” (Ramaiyer np). Others were beset upon as well, with pepper-spray, matches, and baseball bats. In total, only one person was arrested (French np). Unless this one person attacked this many people and businesses, it’s safe to assume that dozens of perpetrators have gone unpunished for the crime of hurting a human being! This ‘free speech’ is not protected under the First Amendment. People are hurting other people. Another time Mr. Yiannopoulos attempted to give a speech, protesters rudely barged into the lecture

By 1765, at a Stamp Act Congress, all but four colonies were represented as the “Declaration of Rights and Grievances” was passed. They were determined to let Parliament know that they were equal to British citizens, that there would be no “taxation without representation,” and all efforts to stop tax on colonists would continue (Kennedy, etal 2011.) Although Lord Rockingham, the predecessor of Grenville, sought to repeal of the Stamp Act, this in no way meant Parliament was conceding their control. In fact, while the Stamp Act was repealed, another called the “Declaratory Act of 1766,” gave Parliament the authority to make laws binding the American Colonies, “in all cases whatsoever.” In 1767, George III passed the Townshend Acts to collect tax on glass, lead, paints, paper and, tea. Recognizing that tea was a favorite among the Americans, it ensured greater revenue the British government. Again, the colonists’ rights for representation were ignored and they started to boycott British goods and ultimately, smuggle tea. When the Quartering Act was passed, which specified that colonists were to give room and board to British troops, tension began to rise. For two years, the colonists tolerated British troops on their soil and their dissatisfaction with the British Parliament and King George III became evident through many violent riots, abusiveness of tax collectors and destruction of property. According to Kennedy, etal (2011), Parliament, continually met with

As many are aware, protesters gathered recently in Charlottesville, Virginia, for a “Unite the Right” protest. The protest quickly escalated from a peaceful rally to a violent outcry.

Although indicators of positive change show increased awareness from participation in the march, racism and support of repression is not only remaining but arguably growing among certain parts of the public. No recent event exemplifies this better than the election of Republican candidate Donald Trump in the 2016 American election.

In the Washington Post, an article, written by Matea Gold, Mark Berman, and Renae Merle, summarizes the rallies conducted in the United States as a result of the new presidency. The article, titled “Not my President”, reflects over the protests in which thousands marched against the victory of Trump in the presidential election. The article describes the damage that was performed by people and contains interviews of anti-Trump protesters. According to the article, car windows were being burned and public property was being damaged. Most interviews recorded that Muslims, illegal immigrants, and U.S citizens feel insecure about their future and feel threatened. While there are countless descriptions and interviews on protesters that are against

When considering the respective mindsets of the Founding Fathers and modern-day peaceful protesters, it is natural to conclude that there is one resolution that encapsulates the mission of both ensembles: to grant the downtrodden their rights. This is why when Americans imply that peaceful protestation is a detriment to societal well-being, I am compelled to wonder if they have forgotten this imperative goal. This nation is dedicated to protecting and expanding upon the liberties of the populace, and our government was constructed in order to take cues from its constituents about what needs fixing. It is only natural that if we, the people, see some liberty amiss or find some law unjust, it is not only our right as granted in the First Amendment,

Henry David Thoreau says, "if the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go...perchance it will wear smooth - certainly the machine will wear out... If it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law. Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine” (Thoreau's Civil Disobedience). Government is a like machine. There are so many problems that it has that it will soon break down. Many people feel that they can fix these problems. That if they do not try fix these problems, they will feel immoral. They feel that they can try to go against the government and cause friction in order for the problem to be fixed. There have been many people in history who have gone against the government to change the world. From Susan B. Anthony, to Mohandas Gandhi, to Martin Luther King Jr., this quote from Thoreau is important to me because without these people, the world would not have

Protest in the Austin area is very intense right now. Many students from schools in East Austin, have gone to protest in name of all immigrants. To prove their point, that they believe that immigrants have a great impact in the United states. Students from Del Valle High School, LBJ High school, Manor High School and a few other school’s walked out of their school and walked down to city hall to protest. And they did it , to prove that they too have a voice and a choice in the things that happen in society in the future. Immigrants,and Citizens from all over the U.S have united together to prove what “ a day without immigrants” looks like. All over the nation they have united and protested “USA, No racism, No KKK, No trump”. This includes citizens whose parents are immigrants. Parents who brought their children to this Country for a better future are all of a sudden being discriminated and treated poorly. And it has brought together citizens that support the hard wolk of immigrants and many have been protesting. On february, 16, 2017 a lot of jobs went on strike to

Although, some may fight the argument by saying that even though Trump is not necessarily taking the rights from the people himself, he is doing it through others, it still does involve Trumps actions as President. People are influenced by others every single day. If someone is influenced by what trump said, they have the right to be influenced and therefore start a peaceful protest just like the NFL players are. Robert Post says “Trumps allies have already begun boycotts … to give teeth to the president.” No matter what anyone else does, it does not equal to Trump suppressing citizens rights. Post continues into this by saying “Still to this date, we have no evidence to indicate that Trump has done anything more than verbally attack the

Now is the time the nation needs to come together, but the people are separated. People are too busy arguing over the Republican and Democratic parties and race. Kneeling for the national anthem because they want to make a statement that not all lives matter, but black lives matter and their president are, “not their president”, is disrespectful to the people who fought and who died and their family. The NFL football players should not have the right to protest during their job, they should protest on their own time.

In December 2016, thousands of veterans, Native Americans and everyday citizens gathered to peacefully demonstrate against the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. Suddenly, on the morning of January tenth, they were awakened by barking police dogs and the rumble of military jeeps armed with water cannons and guns headed toward them. But the government’s efforts to crush the courageous protesters failed,and the DAPL construction was put on hiatus. Peaceful civil disobedience, such as the DAPL protests, when embraced as a form of social expression, has helped to rectify numerous unjust policies imposed upon the people. In order to maintain a truly free society, people must be able to act out their beliefs if their

Answer the following question in your essay: Is civil disobedience a moral responsibility of the citizen? Make sure to review the parts of an argument on p.178 and include those elements in your own writing. You do not have to conduct research on this issue; you are to use the three texts we’ve read so far, as well as any real-life example that will clarify your position. (See p. 179 for full writing prompt and directions.)

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.

Throughout Donald Trump’s presidential campaign, he has made sexist, racist, xenophobic, and hateful statements. Trump’s statements have resonated with many right-winged supporters and they have decided to act upon this rhetoric that expresses hatred and violence towards this group that they refer to as the “others.” Now that Trump is president, these alt-right groups, white nationalists, are using demonstrations, riots, and terrorism to promote hate and discriminatory ideals. These white nationalists, who once hide in plain sight, are now able to express themselves freely and gather in public settings. Oftentimes, these public gatherings end in violence and in the case of Charlottesville, even death. In this essay, I argue how the “Unite the Right” rally held in Charlottesville, succeeded in their social performance to draw attention to their identity and communicate to America, specifically those who they view as being politically correct, that they are being assertive and making sure that they are being heard. These white nationalists are showing America that they will do whatever to preserve American history and use the first amendment to say whatever they want to say so that they can invoke a response.

The United States is a refuge for those searching for freedom; whether that be freedom from persecution, civil rights, or simply freedom from who you once were. Without a strong leader to promote the welfare of its citizens, the U.S. crumbles under the pressure. With the events occurring in Charlottesville, a group of Neo-Nazis and white supremacists clashing with counter-protesters over the removal of a statue, ending with one of the counter-protesters being murdered by a man driving his vehicle through the crowd, it called for a definite denouncement of actions. Despite such encouragement for a strong and direct statement, President Donald Trump did not deliver; his acknowledgement of the event was lacking in explicit blame, and pushed it onto both sides of the people gathered in Charlottesville. In fact, his statement pushed blame onto both sides of the protest - the white supremacists and the counter-protesters -, and likened the hate-group with the movement that advocates for equal rights of people of color. This is dangerous, and by allowing the white supremacists and KKK members out with hate speech and symbols, it infringes upon the counter-protesters civil liberties by pursuing the oppression of their people.