Rebelling And Disobeying In The United States

Civil disobedience is defined as the “refusal to obey civil laws in an effort to induce change in government policy or legislation, characterized by nonviolent means”; theories on this topic have been debated for centuries. (American Heritage Dictionary 3rd Edition pg161) Henry David Thoreau was well known for his refusal to participate in the political systems or activities of his era, not only by refusing to pay his poll taxes for six consecutive years, but also by announcing that he did not wish to be regarded as a member of any incorporated society. In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau stresses the need to prioritize one’s conscience over the dictates of laws. A person should not be obligated to devote his or her life to eliminating evils from the world, but is only obligated not to participate in such evils themselves. He argues that the government rarely proves itself useful and this derives from the power from the majority because they are the strongest group, not because they hold the most legitimate views. Justice is the quality of being just, impartial or fair. Thoreau doubted the effectiveness of reform within the government, and argued that voting and petitioning for change served useless. He felt that justice had different standards for each different group. Which raises the question, is justice fair for everyone? When a government is unjust, people should

Disobedience always comes with a reason, some do it to go against something that is wrong others do it for attention or because they do not care about the situation. When there is an unjust law that is putting someone down or is oppressing it, people will begin to go against the law and not stand around while everyone including themselves gets hurt. Just Laws are to help and to keep everyone safe and unjust laws are made for minorities to stay away from the high-class group who want nothing with them. Sadly today there are still unjust laws to put people down but they are not standing around to let it happen. Martin Luther King could not watch his brothers and sisters be constantly put down so he went against unjust laws to stand his grounds. Antigone shared similarities when she went against king Creon rules rule to not bury her brother Polyneicês, she knew the consequences but paid no minds and stood her ground and kept doing what she has planned to do.

Some major changes and advancements in society wouldn't have occurred without disobedience. When the British taxed the colonies, rebels responded with the Boston Tea Party. This led to the American Revolution. In the end, the United States gained it's independence. When women wanted political power, they responded through the Women's Suffrage movement. In the end, the 19th amendment was passed. When we disagree with unjust actions, we respond by

As a people our national history was written, for the most part, as a result of civil disobedience. Breaking the laws that England imposed on the colonies was the first step in a revolution that established a new form of representative democracy. Most of the great social changes that have come about over the 200+ years of our existence had its roots in the embracing of breaking a law of the land dutifully enacted by a legislative body.

This principle is upheld by Henry David Thoreau’s statement that “Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.” Thoreau explains here that the only way for citizens to be truly free is to stand up to their government. The fact of the matter is that nothing accurately reflects the will of the people more than when that desire is expressed loud and clear through the tumultuous time of an overthrow. Political unrest is the clearest indication of the fact that the citizens are fighting back against something unjust not only because they want to, but because they have to in order to protect

While growing up, our parents taught us what was right and what was wrong based on their beliefs and views. When we were younger, we were taught to follow and obey those who were older than us and possessed a higher authoritative status. One’s reasoning for being obedient includes: religious beliefs, background, and work ethics. Civil disobedience played a large role in America. Creating protests, riots, and sit-ins, America had many examples of disobedience. In America, we value our rights as citizens and individuals. We have the right to protest as stated in the first amendment of the United States Constitution, which is called Freedom of Speech. According to the Webster Dictionary, civil disobedience is said to be “the refusal to obey government demands or commands and nonresistance to consequent arrest and punishment.” Citizens are willing to accept the legal consequences associated with their disobedient actions. How does the law respond to people who engage in civil disobedience? Fining and jail time are the legal consequences enforced by authority but also there is a trend of change. I believe civil disobedience is justified simply by your own personal beliefs and the rights you attain as a citizen. The law is the law, if you disobey; the authoritative figure is responsible for giving a consequence.

There are many occurrences of rebellion in the long history of the United States, but none more important than the struggle of the colonists as they wrestled with the British for control over their own destiny. The colonists decided that enough was enough and that something had to be done. Great Britain had held control over the colonies with an iron fist, which only helped to strengthen the colonists’ hatred towards the British. Not every nation is perfect, but when things start taking a turn for the worse, it’s only a matter of time before one person finally speaks out against the leadership. All it took for this rebellion to begin was for one to person to share

From the Deadliest Wars to the Non violent rebellion, they have been an essential part of the world we have today. If it wasn’t for wars/rebellions, we would not be able to have the amount of freedom that we have today. Thanks to some wars and rebellions that we have had, America can proudly say that we live in the land of the and the home of the brave. Some of the most important wars that we have had are King Philip's War, Pope’s War, and Bacon's War.

Freedom, how important is it? Important enough to give up your life? Your family? Everything? When the answer is yes, we rebel. We risk our lives, families, and everything. The United States is a country founded after a rebellion. In The Declaration of Independence it is written that “mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed”. This is why we rebel. Not because we enjoy the terrors that revolt brings, but because the other option is insufferable. Humankind is strong. We hold firm in our beliefs until it becomes insufferable. At this moment in our country, we are questioning our government, we are protesting and marching, we are making our voices

Civil disobedience even holds a spot in one of the key moments in our nation’s foundation. Prior to the Revolutionary War, the American colonies were taxed without representation on many everyday goods. In 1773, the Sons of Liberty organized a movement to dump tea into Boston Harbor. Standing up to tyranny, men like Paul Revere and Samuel Adams broadcasted their message. It was men like these that brought the message of wrong-doing to the citizen’s front doors. Loyalists, British citizens, and those wealthy enough to not be impacted by this saw this as an act of treason deserving the harshest

Throughout history there are many people that have committed peaceful resistance. These certain "heroes" of history, if you'd like, have changed our views on obedience to laws.

The word disobedience is generally associated with a rebellious action that results in a lamentable consequence; however, upon a closer inspection, the outcome rather promotes social progress. Irish author Oscar Wilde publicizes in 1891 his observation that “progress has been made… through rebellion.” True to his claim, various historical events where a group of people was defiant resulted in a major improvement for society. The American Revolution, the nonviolent movements led by Martin Luther King Jr., and the French Revolution are revolutionary events that would have not succeeded without disobedience.

Freedom of speech, a first piece of the first amendment, is put into action. Anger, frustration, hurt, and fear become bundled up within a group of people and the take to the streets, sometimes in the form of protests on the block others in the form of boycotts or letters to ones representative, anyway for the people to express their feelings about a certain topic, this is another major cause of civil disobedience. When American's felt they lacked a voice in the government in the 1760s they began to protest Britain, by boycotting and getting rid of tea, by writing a list of grievance to their king, by asking for more representation within

Civil Disobedience was one of the fundamental values our nation was founded upon. The only thing that has changed is the "peaceful" aspect, our founders regularly practiced "uncivil" disobedience. Whether it be by dumping tea into the Boston Harbor to protest taxes or openly declaring independence to defend their liberties, they were no strangers to rebellion. Following "Shay's Rebellion" Thomas Jefferson himself famously wrote "the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots & tyrants". If not for our founders resolve our nation would have continued to be oppressed. It takes brave souls standing up in what they believe in to break the chains of persecution.

In life there are many situations where rebellion is required for change and improvement. Some are simple, like growing up and learning not to do certain things and others are more complex like when a group of people stand up for what they believe, for example, women’s rights and black’s rights. I believe that rebellion is healthy for any growing society. There are many things that we do not agree with, whether it is the law or our parent’s instructions. By rebelling we can change our society and/or ourselves for better.