The Role Of Peaceful Resistance In America

Our right to free speech and to peaceably assemble is protected in the First Amendment, and is something we should take seriously. "Congress shall make no law ... 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" (Amendment I). One area of "peaceful resistance" is petitioning to government leaders and taking a stand on what is true and godly. When this is done, people have the opportunity to give government officials a point of view that perhaps they would have never considered

The Constitution of the United States of America provides citizens with the right to freedom of speech, peaceable assembly, and to air grievances in the first amendment. However, refusal to abide by laws is breaking the law. Whether it is lawful or not, peaceful resistance positively impacts a free society. As a democratic republic, Americans elect representatives to essentially do their bidding in government, trusting their judgement and knowledge when making laws.

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.

Protesting is very common in our society and most modern protest are peaceful but yet go unnoticed by the general public due to the medias focus on violence or other enthralling stories at the time. The freedom to protest is an American right as long as it is done peacefully. Peaceful protesting has helped in the shaping of America to become what it is today in a multitude of ways throughout history. Peaceful resistance or protest is a positive action for a free society; this is because it provides a legal and calm form of political defiance. The way of peaceful resistance has worked multiple times throughout the history of the world.

In this day and age, peaceful protests against opposed laws has become a centralized right as an individual. It has become a popularized form to oppose laws imposed by the government. Many take to the streets in protest to continue to take part of the government in order to allow for their voices to be heard. However, if resistance becomes violent and threatens the safety of other individuals, it also threatens the original message being portrayed. It is the people of the United States that make up the government and gives the government its power. This is clearly stated in the first three words of the constitution and will continue to be upheld for as long as there is a United States of

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.

But I also think that at certain times peacefully resisting can negatively impact our community. For one, a lot of the times "peacefully" resisting is not all that peaceful. Many riots have been started over various things people don't like. When this happens, a person is imposing their rights on another individual. The other individuals rights have been neglected and trampled. Another thing is, what if the law is put there to help people? If a law is in place to help fellow humans, such as laws stating all men and women are equal regardless of color, or that slavery is illegal, then why protest against that law? Were we not created the same? Were we not all born here on this earth in the same way? Aren't we the same on the inside, if not the outside? If the law is to help another human in need, and it doesn't contradict our current laws and freedoms, then you don't need to protest just because you don't like what the law has to say. Even if protesting does positively impact the community, protesting should be kept to a minimum. We can't go protesting willy nilly over every single little thing. Protesting can become a form rioting and doing anything that is rude or

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.

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,

Specifically addressing the use of peaceful resistance to laws, I believe that we, as a free society, need to permit peaceful resistance because of the specific issues the public addresses as unjust, unfair, or in violation of their rights demonstrated by this

Back in 1791, after years of controversy between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists, the Framers added the Bill of Rights to the United States Constitution. Included in this addition was the First Amendment. More specifically, the right to protest. America is known as “the land of the free,” a democracy that is ever changing to suit its progressive societal needs. Americans have the right to inflict change and address their concerns by resisting. Resistance is defined as “the refusal to accept or comply with something” (Dictionary.com). Americans have the right to confront issues. This “refusal to accept” an issue is an immeasurable energy and freedom that is unique to the American people. Due to the themes of democracy, freedom, and constitutional intentions, peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society.

Peacefully resisting can show how powerful a person is; peacefully resisting shows a person with great patience and will power. Like Rosa Parks, peacefully resisting shows the public that, law enforcement can be crude and strict. Thanks to her protest though, we don't have horrid racial discrimination. To some degree, I can agree that peacefully resisting is good, it gives the people hope and courage to stand up for what they believe in. "Strength in numbers" is not just a quote people throw around, if you compare the numbers to people against law enforcement (1.1 million - 318.9 million) enough encouraged people can overthrow the police. Which is where resisting can get ugly or "negative". Laws are here for a reason, to protect us the best they can. They are only words written on documents, true, but we the people have to sworn to go by them. There will be cases where the law can be wrong, but the majority of the time it isn't. However, going to prison because you did not want to sit on the back of the bus is a little extreme. Equity, not equality. Having a rapist bunk in the same room as a person who gave out important information does not seem right and 'justified'. Then again we are just people, so in any stand point you can say equally satisfying arguments on this topic, there is no right or wrong

The United States of America is a country founded on resistance. The founding fathers were not politicians, but rebels. They molded a raw, free society from the clay of revolution. In founding a nation on the principles of the people, they created an open platform for continued resistance. It is ingrained in every citizen, whether one realizes it or not.

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