Peaceful Resistance

It’s hard to make people listen. It’s hard to make people want change. And using violence brings a bad reputation to what one is trying to bring attention to. Thus, peaceful protesting and civil disobedience are important tools to positively impact a free society. Accepting the consequences of civil disobedience proves to the world that one will sacrifice whatever is necessary to achieve what they are fighting for, which strengthens their message even more.

unjust” (Banks 1). “Principle four – accept suffering without retaliation for the sake of the cause to achieve the goal – this characterizes that nonviolent resistance is a willingness to accept suffering without retaliation, to accept blows from the opponent without striking back; accept the violence, if necessary; but to never inflict violence on another” (Banks 2). “Principle five – avoid internal violence of the spirit, as well as, external physical violence – a nonviolent resister not only refuses to fight or shoot his opponent, but he also refuses to hate him; at the center of nonviolence stands the principle of love for one another” (Banks 2). “Principle six – the universe is on the side of justice – this basic fact pertaining to nonviolent resistance is that it is based on the conviction that the universe is on the side of justice which is positive peace, consequently, the believer in nonviolence has a deep faith in the future and therefore, can accept suffering without retaliation. There is a creative force in this universe, that by whatever name we decide to call it, it works to bring the disconnected aspects of reality into a harmonious whole; a universal wholeness for each of us to share with one another and that nonviolence is both the means and the end” (Banks 3). Dr. King also had a couple of

One popular example of peaceful resistance to our laws is the Rosa Parks incident. Parks peacefully disobeyed the segregation laws which required her, and other people of color, to move to the back of the bus in order for white people to have the front seats. When Parks broke the law, she also made a statement. She had harmed no one, and done no harm to any property. All she did was refuse to move to the back of a bus. Her act of disobedience prompted the skepticism of segregation laws and helped prove the fact that just because something is lawful, does not mean it is moral and just because

Civil disobedience plays an important and great role in the world. It is a major and effective part of many processes that combat injustice and immorality. In the past, it has helped countries gain independence, combatted racial segregation, affected countries’ involvement in wars and much more. People such as Parks and Gandhi have fought the immoral laws which led to thousands of millions of people having the opportunity to live a future without prejudice, discrimination and oppression because they held up their beliefs and demonstrated he importance of civil

Injustice,wrongdoings, and/ or inequality are the root of all acts of civil disobedience. From Muhammad Ali to Edward Snowden to Rosa Parks each of their actions of civil disobedience caused changed and self reflection. An excerpt from form Muhammad Ali’s Anti War Stand Was Civil Disobedience, Not Draft Dodging Ali said “Why should me and other so-called ‘negroes’ …. drop bombs and bullets on other innocent brown people….” A shocking statement that made many reflect on the drastic war actions. Rosa Parks refusal to move as civil disobedience in its finest. The actions were unjustifiable by the bus driver and the new passenger, for Rosa had every right to her seat. Her stand alone started a nationwide bus boycott and furthered the civil rights movement. Edward Snowden also shock America with his disobedient action. When

There are, however, examples of peaceful resistance to laws in our society today. One example being a group called Black Lives Matter. The goal of this group is to resist against discrimination that is happening today in our society, and when we look at what they have accomplished it is

Civil disobedience is one of the most important cornerstones of the rights of the American people. Although it is dangerous at time and can often be less effective that violent protest, its benefits can neither be negated nor ignored. There have been several different individuals throughout history who have used the idea of civil disobedience to fight for their individualized causes. Rosa parks fought for the rights of black people, as well as women everywhere. The individuals who participated in the Boston Tea Party fought for the freedom and rights of the new colonists in America. Susan B. Anthony fought for the political and societal rights of women everywhere.

Civil disobedience is the refusal to conform to certain laws as a form of harmless political protest, while being aware of the consequences that could result because of it. Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society because actions are taken due to people letting their voice be heard. While some may argue that the main reasons of this are the five basic rights mentioned in the first amendment (freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition), this issue goes far beyond that. Without civil disobedience, many historical events might have not played such an important role as they did to the point that they changed America in numerous ways; not to mention the courageous people who still take part in protests today to claim the rights they should have.

However, in the modern day, civil disobedience has been used to protest in different ways. One of the most recent examples is the sit-in that happened on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives in June, 2016. Several members of the Democratic party organized the sit-in to push for gun control laws to be implemented. While the members were not being oppressed, the sit-in certainly brought attention to the issue and showed the power of civil disobedience. While their actions were not entirely illegal, the sit-in halted government progress for over a day and did raise awareness to their cause, much like the civil disobedience demonstrated by Rosa Parks and MLK

Civil Disobedience America was founded due to civil disobedience when a group of citizens, unhappy with unjust laws and taxes, threw tea into the Boston Harbor. Since that act of defiance almost all of America’s substantial changes started because of similar peaceful resistance and protesting (Starr). Still, America has unjust laws, and will continue to because humanity’s ‘conscious’ and moral beliefs are always shifting; to change such a law, one must first stand against it. Compared to other countries, America is a relatively free society, meaning the citizens are not restricted or oppressed by the government, the law has the purpose of guiding and protecting the people. Peaceful resistance, when done right, is not only a positive influence,

Peaceful resistance also known as civil disobedience; by definition, is the act of opposing a law one considers unjust and peacefully disobeying it while accepting the consequences. To me, civil disobedience is the thought and or action in one’s mind after they break a law or rule, and they automatically accept the consequences, without question.

A great era for civil disobedience in the United States of America, would have to be the 1960’s. It was a time for figureheads, such as Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King Jr., to sprout up and be acknowledged by history. Now known as the civil rights movement, people

Peaceful resistance is a major part of American history, from the American Revolution to the 1960’s Civil Rights Movement to the Travel Ban protests of today. These instances of peaceful resistance shape American society for the better, as the voices of minorities are heard and unjust laws are ended. Peaceful resistance does positively impact a free society, as supported by Henry Thoreau, demonstrated by the 1960 Civil Rights Movement, and anticipated by protests of today.

Civil disobedience towards laws is an act of refusing to obey a law by not using violence or war, physically. Doing something peaceful means more than just nonviolence, but doing an action that causes other people to react in a calm way in return. In a free society, peaceful resistance to law can cause a lot of change that can be both positive or negative. However, I do believe it has way more of a positive impact than negative because a resistance speaks up against a law that they do not believe in and to create change. Through a more peaceful approach, resistors will avoid spreading any means of hate, while still having hope to change the law.

In a free society, the citizens have certain rights and also certain limits to their rights. When there is a law that is that conflicts with other people's view is it right to speak up and protest it in a peaceful manor? There are many ways to interpret this idea because many people do protest laws or rules that seem unjust to them whether it was a peaceful resistance or a flat out violent approach. However, I believe that a peaceful resistance would positively impact a free society because it voices out people's ideas which could eventually lead to a change. If you sit in silence then no one would ever know how you feel about the law and nothing would change and if you protest violently, it would only lead to irrational things and deaths as