Peaceful Resistance In The United States

A promising colony started struggling for its freedom from British rule in 1775. In The Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson’s message is clear: America should be governed by the people, and ran in favor of them. He envisioned a country of unity that was free from Britain’s rule. To make this dream a reality, he required a document that exposed the king’s tyranny, and to spark further rebellion. Using eloquent speech, ethos, pathos, and other rhetorical devices, he was able to do so.

All of these freedoms mean you can do what you want as long as it does not harm someone else. That is all. But we, as Americans, are prone to believe the opposite. We believe that if you believe in this or that, then you will surely hurt someone. We believe any form of protest or being different is a bad thing. While I believe everyone has the right to do what they want, most do not feel that way. The First Amendment protects people from the people who think that different is a bad thing. That is what is good in our country and what we need to stand by, in my

Peaceful resistance to a law is exactly what a free society needs in order to manage the "free" status. If we were forced to obey every law without a say, we would not be a truly free society. Civil disobedience is one of the most positive impacts the people can have on their own government, especially one that claims to be one of the people, for the people, and by the people. When the people disagree with a law they have always and will always have a right to stand against it. It is a vital part of an American's first amendment rights: the freedom of speech (among other things).

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.

I believe that peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society. It gives citizens the right to protest against what they believe is wrong without the use of violence. Although it is not right to purposefully break the law it is better to break the law in a peaceful way rather than in a way that could bring harm to other people. Civil disobedience commonly has to do with laws that conflict with people's moral beliefs.

Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society. The Constitution of the United States of America gives us the right to freedom of speech. We should be able to express our opinions through civil disobedience, as long as we do so peacefully. Civil disobedience is accurately presented during the time of the civil rights movement. Martin Luther King led many marches and peaceful protests.

Peaceful resistance, though controversial, is a positive force in our free society, battling this lingering injustice. It is a way in which we can make our voices heard without risking injury to any part of our country.

In recent years, the issue of peaceful and violent protests has arisen in the United States of America, and from these protests, a question has arisen: how do these peaceful protest affect our free society? The answer to this controversial question lies in the meaning of peaceful protest and application of this definition. Civil disobedience, or a peaceful protest, is the orderly and nonviolent purposeful violation of laws in order to change a law or governing system. This practice has been used to change the opinion of the citizens or the government. The repeated use of civil disobedience has led to our society’s improvement as a whole and has impacted the USA positively; these impacts are seen in the acts of the 1968 Olympic Medalists, Tommie

Most of the Founding Fathers feared that democracy and freedom and dangerous in the hands of ordinary citizens (p.288). As stated by Foner: “ To Washington, Hamilton, and their supporters […] the Revolution raised the spectre of anarchy. America, they believed, had no choice but to draw closer to Britain” (p.287).

Overall, Peaceful resistance has a positive impact on a free society. Because it is a human being’s duty to lead a life in a just manner, no matter the consequence. If a person cannot fight with hatred and fear, they must prosper in peace and

Peaceful resistance to laws, I would argue, could only enforce and support a free American society. One of the grand ideas that North America was founded upon was the acceptance and encouragement of unique attitudes and being different from everyone else. If, for example, an individual in today's society were to peacefully disagree with the fact that marijuana should be illegal. This individual might, perhaps, be found relaxing in his or her own home smoking a little bit of pot. It has happened before where policemen have barged into people's houses without consent of the individual, with the sole reason being "I thought I smelled marijuana." No policeman should ever have the authority to barge into anyone's home without anything less than a search warrant. Was the individual

Peaceful civil disobedience is necessary for and promotes the progress of a free society, but it is not always the best solution for progression. People peacefully resist often times for better equality or conditions. However, sometimes violence manifests in the tension between the peaceful resistors and the enforcers of law.

Before coming to a definitive conclusion, I believe it is important to first gain knowledge of the overall idea of “peaceful resistance.” Coined from its creator Martin Luther King Jr., peaceful resistance is labeled as “a courageous confrontation of evil by the power of love” (King, stride, 80). Being moral in its ethical practices, it was a nonviolent protest to what citizens considered unjust regarding societal and governmental issues. According to King, “the Christian doctrine of love operating through the Gandhian method of nonviolence was one of the most potent weapons available to oppressed people in their struggle for freedom” (King, Stride, 79; Papers 5:422). His notion of the nonviolence practice composed of six principles, first being that anyone can resist evil without the having to resort to violent tactics. Second, the “friendship and understanding” is the goal of nonviolent resistances, not by any means do they intend to belittle their opponent (King, Stride, 84). Third, only the evil in the conflict should be opposed. Fourth, one must be willing to endure suffering without retaliation. Fifth, nonviolent resistance avoids external and internal violence. And last but not least sixth, the nonviolent resister should be motivated by love and

One of the many necessities in establishing a free society is granting the people within it the right to change how they live. If citizens of a free society declare a law unfit for their lifestyle, they should not be denied the right to demand the legal means for that change be provided, nor should the right to advocate that change be denied. Though civil disobedience is not legally supported, it positively affects a free society because it is an earnest, often respectful, and—most importantly—nonviolent expression of discontent with the law. Peaceful resistance shows effectiveness in its promise for the future of a society that often outweighs the consequences of the short term.

In this day and age, change is vital. In order to see change, we must stand up for what we believe in. By speaking out against laws we believe to be unjust, we can make a difference. As long as we act with peace and respect, it is possible to change the law if your reasoning is sensible. Due to this, I wholeheartedly believe that peaceful resistance to laws has an overall positive impact on a free society. I came to this realization during my attendance at a local “Speak Up, Speak Out” rally in which our main goal was to protest against racism, police brutality, and to essentially speak up for those being oppressed by our society. Due to the resurgence of racial inequalities in America, police brutality has been a major issue this year in politics.