Peaceful Resistance: Positively Or Negatively Impact A Free Society

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.

Thomas Jefferson clearly stated in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Exactly what Jefferson meant by Liberty in this statement was unclear and has been subject of great debate over the years. There is further examination of the use of the word Liberty in the U.S. Constitution. It was stated in Amendment I, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.” Therefore, by Constitutional law, it is legal to exercise ones right of peaceful civil disobedience. I believe peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society. This is due to the fact that it exercises the rights we are given in the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Two documents that run, support, and are the foundation or our nation.

Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts our free society. It allows us to make our voices heard and spread a message if there is a law that we find is either unfair or goes against our protected freedoms. Peaceful resistance has helped our country grow on multiple occasions. It has always been a part of our countries history and is well protected by our First Amendment rights. Due to this, There is little to know doubt that peaceful resistance has positively effected the lives of many Americans.

I believe that peaceful resistance to laws both positively and negatively impacts a free society. Civil disobedience is the refusal to obey certain laws and government demands one considers unjust, and accepting the consequences. The first amendment prohibits Congress to enact any law that would intervene with any person's civil rights. Though everybody knows this, why are there discussions about what people can and cannot refuse to do. Some people refuse to do things because it goes against their faith, which as stated earlier is allowed according to the first amendment. While others refuse to see what is right in front of them, in the very center of the Declaration of Independence.

Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society because it arouses concern and opens the eyes of law makers and others who are obliged to follow them.

Peaceful resistance to laws positively impact a free society, because all committed acts of civil disobedience, all but in very different cases. Have shown a positive impact amongst the people by proving to everyone and the government that every U.S citizen has the freedom to fight for their rights and freedom and not let anyone disrespect their human morals.

Peaceful resistance in today's society is counted as just as bad as violent riots. As Americans with our constitutional rights should have the ability to peacefully resist anything that we find unjust but within current events it is seen as being a criminal for showing your opinion. I believe that peaceful resistance should have a positive impact on our country and that it should be seen as powerful rather than as weakness caused by the displeasure of events. As a country it is our job to take into consideration the rights and beliefs of all rather than few. For example within my own community there was a peaceful resistance or peaceful protest at our local university in which around 70 to 100 people were arrested simply for showing their

Peaceful resistents to laws either positively or negatively impacts a free society. I believe that peaceful resistant to laws does positively impact a free society just look at Rosa Parks, Thomas Jefferson and also Daniel Ellsberg they all helped in some type of way by using peaceful resistance to the laws. In some ways civil disobedience does help the government get better and also some says that it destroys the civil society. From the article ,"Is it right to break the law" by Charles Frankel it discuss is it ever right to break the law and in some situations it is but it also depends on how you handle the situation and what your motives are. It depends on if you are harmimg someone and if your taking a stand and wanting to change something for the better. I do not believe that is showing negatively on society

Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society as long as the person is willing to take on the punishment. If you are resisting an unjust law, then in order for it to be effective no one must be harmed and the resistance must be organized and controlled. Peaceful resistance to laws has been more efficient in general in the history of the United States. If you look at the examples of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X when they were struggling for equal rights, Dr. King was much more successful in his movement because his movement was peaceful while Malcom X’s movement was violent. The United States government tends to make change a little easier when dealt with in a more peaceful and diplomatic matter.

In a free society such as the United States, peaceful resistance usually comes in the form of peaceful protests such as people marching in the streets or people staying put in a public area for symbolic reasons. Peaceful resistance of this form is allowed because the government of this country seems to support an ideal set forth in Henry David Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience: “That government is best which governs least.” In other words, the role of government is to protect the individual freedoms of its people, and the constitution that the United States government adheres to works to protect those individual freedoms, including the freedom of speech. Therefore, peaceful resistance in the form of peaceful protests are protected by the constitution. And even when peaceful protests cause individuals to break laws, these actions can bear fruits of justice and advancement within society.

In my opinion, peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society. The whole point of a "free society" is where the people have a say and are able to stand up for what they believe in. If a law seems unjust to them, they should have the right to protest it or disobey it, as long as it is done peacefully. Martin Luther King is one of the most influential leaders in history. Without his non-violent protests and civil disobedience, the unjust laws of segregation might still be in place. One of my favorite quotes from MLK's "Letter From Birmingham Jail" is when

One of the distinguishing principles that has separated American Democracy from the rest of the world is the right to enjoy immense and unprecedented freedoms, whilst still enjoying protections from government. American government has protected, and continues to protect, our unalienable rights, while many other governments have historically, tried to strip their people’s rights. Many of the rights we enjoy are used to keep our own government in check. The government cannot infringe upon our right to speak out against it, protest it in the streets, or write literature against it. All of these rights are important to maintaining, and controlling, our democratic system. The right to peacefully

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

I believe peaceful resistance to laws can cause a very negative impact to a free society because this can affect one's life in a number of ways, at least several of them. Among them is the fact that those who break the laws while participating in civil disobedience can be a sign of disrespect for the law itself when they should have accomplished all of their goals more fairly and patriotically by simply staying attached to the laws. This can also help with confining themselves to both courts and methods of peaceful persuasion. Additionally, this type of impact can also affect the communists, who already know that they themselves can make more profit by stimulating agitation and disrespect for law and order. They began neglecting their own sinister doctrines

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