Peaceful Resistance In America

Peaceful resistance to laws is one of the strongest and most important foundations of a free society. Countless peaceful demonstrations have been led in the history of the United States, with positive outcomes that have helped shape the country.

Peaceful resistance in the United States of America, done with the right intentions, has a positive impact of a free society. I hold this belief because as humans we can be flawed in our ways of thinking and require something to draw our attention for us to realize our flawed views. Peaceful resistance is positive because it draws attention to an issue in society, it communicates a level of civility, and it attempts to initiate a positive way of addressing issues in society.

Peaceful resistance positively impacts a free society, particularly in a Democracy such as the United States. Abraham Lincoln famously described our national foundation as a “government of the people, by the people, for the people”, and for such a statement to be true, it is necessary that voices of US citizens be heard.

The word resistance holds a negative diction in todays society. Resistance is seen as a taboo thing to many people because it means raising your voice when it is quiet and it is know that many don't like the noise. However, peaceful civil resistance has made a change throughout history. Although many feel like peaceful resistance is detrimental to a free society one cannot avoid the fact that does make a society more aware of issues pending in the country.

Freedom is not a term with a simple definition or interpretation. While the basic understanding of freedom is for one to have certain rights and liberties as a citizen, the American notion and application of freedom have certainly changed since its very beginning as a nation. A crucial part of America’s history that challenged the idea of true “American freedom” for citizens was the Reconstruction Era. Although the Union troops were pulled out of the South and ended de jure segregation, the emergence of Jim Crow laws at the end of Reconstruction facilitated de facto segregation. Instead of completely achieving equal freedom, Reconstruction ultimately hindered African American’s freedom with the emergence of the black codes that resurfaced again

Many people will argue that peaceful resistance to laws and a need for change is unconstitutional, possibly because they believe that the constitution holds true and applies to this day and age. Truthfully, I don’t care what the constitution says and I do not think any of us should take it literally. It’s ambiguous and completely out of date. If the Constitution were applicable to any other time than when it was written, we would not need peaceful resistance. We would not have needed to “peacefully resist” things like segregation, slavery, or inequality. Because the laws of this country and many other countries have a tendency to be oppressive, unfair, and unfavorable towards minority groups, peaceful resistant is not only positively impactful,

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

The idea of freedom for people in both society and for individuals is extremely important. The pioneers of America thought in a similar way. One of the most crucial documents in American history, namely the Declaration of Independence proves this. It clearly states “All men are created equal. They are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” For the most part, I personally agree with this statement. On the one hand, life cannot be a dictatorship which forbids you from doing anything until a leader tells you what to do, and once that leader speaks you become enslaved into doing that action. On the other hand, it is frightening to think of a society in which people

A free society that limits or restricts the voice of its people fundamentally contradicts the exact meaning of free. The birth of America itself was knitted in the womb of violent disobedience of the law, and thus exists as a historically essential piece of who we are as Americans.

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

Freedom is defined as the state of being free or at liberty rather than in confinement. It is the power to determine action without restraint and the exemption from external control, interference, and regulation. Americans, these days, commonly regard their society as the freest and the best in the world. Their understanding of freedom has been shaped and based upon the founding fathers’ belief that all people are equal and that the role of the government is to protect each person’s basic “inalienable” rights. The United States Constitution’s Bill of Rights assures individual rights including freedom of speech, press, and religion. America has changed dramatically from the country our founding fathers discovered. Some could even argue that

"Peaceful resistance" is a very controversial issue in this day in age. Many Americans, if asked, probably have many varying views and opinions on what peaceful resistance is. For some it could be marching down the streets with signs, while for others its shouting their rights without causing any violence. Now to me, peaceful resistance is when one or multiples stand for what they deem right or wrong without causing any harm to others. To me this serves as a positive because not only does it allow for people to be heard, but also for others to listen. When a peaceful protest takes place often enough it is shown through the internet, social media, television, news, etc. At some point everyone will hear about it and based on what they see they

Peaceful resistance and civil disobedience are acts that can shape a nation. These acts are used to peacefully protest laws or recent events that were unjust or proper justice was not given. Sometimes these acts are required in order for a change to be made to an unjust law or event. Often times these acts can be seen as bad or violent, but they aren't. As long as they are peaceful, these acts are not bad. Peaceful acts of protest invoke thoughtful consideration of the event or law the protest is calling attention to. In the end, civil disobedience and peaceful resistance can positively impact the nation in which they are being demonstrated in.

Freedom has a large range of meaning. The encyclopedia Britannica defines freedom as “the quality or state of being free, and the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action” (Britannica). In the American society there is a lot of emphasis on freedom, and the right to be free, but one must question to what extent we are truly “free”.

Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society. Rather than having violent movements and harming citizens, it is better to peacefully resist. Once a violence is used, the resistance to the law becomes nulled. People tend to not follow a violence protester. Once a violent riot starts, chaos is everywhere. People forget what they are truly fighting for. They unconsciously run away with the fear of getting harmed and dare not to go back. A peaceful resistance on the other hand leads citizens to join and support. People are able to see what they are fighting for and their real intentions. They are able to stand and cause no problem to people passing by as they are showing their support through silent voices. Many famous activists and leaders are for nonviolence. Mahatma Gandhi, a primary leader of India’s independence