What Is The Impact Of Civil Disobedience

Civil Disobedience has been around for hundreds of years. This a practice first put into play by a man by the name of Henry David Thoreau who believed that if you didn’t agree with a rule then you should act against it in a nonviolent way, and be willing to accept any punishment that comes with it. His teachings were followed by famous activists such as Ghandi, and Martin Luther King Jr., and many others.

Civil disobedience comes in every package under the sun. Whether it be Henry David Thoreau refusing to pay his taxes to protest the Mexican-American War or Mohammed Ali refusing the draft because he believed that they were sending him to fight for rights in another country that he didn’t have in his own. The importance of civil disobedience, particularly in those with influence over the people, is often overshadowed by opposition leaders and naysayers on the other side of the argument. But civil disobedience has kept America moving forward for over 240 years and it won’t be stopping any time soon.

The  Civil Rights Movement is a substantial example of civil disobedience for the reason that  they were peacefully protesting while accepting their consequences.  On the other hand, people today believe that they're protesting peacefully however, peace can lead to violence and take away the credibility of their cause. Causing destruction in their community, where civil disobedience impacts society negatively because the situations get out of hand that cause chaotic cases which involves brutality.

From Cherokee Indians refusing to abandon their homes in 1838 to the Sit-ins of the civil rIghts movement in the early 1960s, people have been using acts of civil disobedience to stand against injustice they saw in their communities. Although there are many examples of people abusing this benefit and causing more grief and shame than progress, many have used it to their advantage to bring about positive change for the greater good of society, therefore acts of civil disobedience can positively impact a free society if they remain peaceful, respectful, and justified.

Civil disobedience allows citizens in the free society of the United States to express their opinions in a way that is sure to evoke governmental attention, while enlightening the public

Rosa Parks is, apart from Martin Luther King Jr., arguably one of the most important figures of the civil rights movement. Her most notable protest is considered to be when she refused to change seats in a bus when a white man approached her and expected her to move due to the social norms of that time period. This led to a newsworthy story, and brought attention to the extreme discrimination that black people endured. Not only did Rosa Parks stand for black people's rights, she also stood for women's rights by standing up to the patriarchy and fighting against a white man. Her use of civil disobedience allowed her to effectively fight against the racial prejudice to which she was subjected,

Civil Disobedience America was founded due to civil disobedience when a group of citizens, unhappy with unjust laws and taxes, threw tea into the Boston Harbor. Since that act of defiance almost all of America’s substantial changes started because of similar peaceful resistance and protesting (Starr). Still, America has unjust laws, and will continue to because humanity’s ‘conscious’ and moral beliefs are always shifting; to change such a law, one must first stand against it. Compared to other countries, America is a relatively free society, meaning the citizens are not restricted or oppressed by the government, the law has the purpose of guiding and protecting the people. Peaceful resistance, when done right, is not only a positive influence,

Civil disobedience, or the act of peacefully resisting a law, has been a fundamental part of society for centuries. Henry David Thoreau in 1849 wrote in his essay, “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience,” that if a law is unjust that one not only has the right to oppose the law, but that they are in fact obligated to break the law. In this light, peaceful resistance to laws not only positively impacts society, but is indeed crucial to maintaining a fair and just society. For without this resistance, citizens would go about their business simply accepting the oppression under which they live; resistance to unjust laws is the driving force behind positive change in society, which can be seen in resistance movements throughout history.

Citizens should be given the opportunity to point out evidential flaws, and encourage the country to make the necessary reforms. “Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?” (Thoreau). When engaging in an act of civil disobedience, individuals are courageously accepting punishment with the hope of changing our nation for the good. Recently, over 160 American citizens have been arrested for engaging in an act of civil disobedience regarding their concerns for the wellbeing of our environment. The executive signing of the Keystone XL pipeline project greatly concerns a vast majority of the population, and they have successfully spread global awareness through their petitioning outside of the White House. This form of petroleum extraction is known to release an enormous amount of greenhouse gas emissions, but poses significant economic benefits to the U.S; causing its controversy. Among the protesters included Bill McKibben, renowned environmentalist and author. In an interview he once stated, “In the States we've had by far the largest demonstrations in the last few years. The largest civil disobedience actions about anything in US history in the last 30 years have all been centered around the climate.” This form of civil disobedience emphasizes the ongoing

Civil disobedience (or peaceful protest) has a very positive impact on a free society when protesting against an unjust law. Peaceful protests have a positive impact on society because it has shown to have a successful outcome in the past, and Civil disobedience also helps defend the public. Historically speaking, Civil Disobedience has been a very successful outcome when protesting against a law. Mohandas Gandhi was a very important figure who used Civil Disobedience.

In fact, this tactic was put to use during the 2016 environmental campaign, Break Free, with the goal being to draw attention, and ultimately put a stop to the use of fossil fuels. In March, more than 150 protestors demonstrated their disapproval of fossil fuels by lining up across a railroad that leads to an oil refinery, and although there was no violent action, 52 protestors were arrested and cited with trespassing. Similar to the protests of the 1960s, the purpose of this one was, “to fill the gaps between the words of our politicians and what we know is actually necessary to accomplish”, according to Lindsey Meiman, a spokesperson for Break Free. While the actions of this group did violate the law, the intention was nothing but pure. This group of people was fighting for a cause that is not receiving the attention it deserves, and going about it in a way that would make it visible to the public. In this situation, civil disobedience is being used to show passion and support for an important issue that needs to be

When done correctly, civil disobedience can have positive effects on society, and in a time where people’s basic human rights are being put up for debate by the government, more people should practice civil disobedience. The main argument against civil disobedience is that it is inefficient, but by looking at history, it is apparent that it has marked significant social change on society. For instance, when Rosa Parks took a front bus seat during the Civil Right’s movement, she prompted African Americans to boycott the bus system. Her act of civil disobedience led to increased non-violent participation in the Civil Right’s movement. It is true that some acts of civil disobedience would be harmful to society.

Throughout history, many figurative historical people have used civil disobedience to protest unjust rules such as, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mohandas Gandhi. They striked and protest obediently and won their case in a peaceful manner. Martin Luther King described the civil rights movement as a time when the “people moved their leaders, not the leaders who moved the people.” If enough of us push together toward a new vision, the world will begin to move. Looked what happened. He did make a difference because he spoke what he felt was right. He didn’t do anything violent whatsoever and he still made an impact because he spoke his

On December 1st, 1955 a 42 year old African American woman named Rosa Parks boarded a bus in Montgomery and refused to give up her seat to a white passenger after the whites-only section was filled. This is one of the most prominent examples of civil disobedience in history, as Rosa Parks’ refusal and arrest for her actions were in her own best interest as well as the interests of other people and against the segregation laws at the time; however, the black segregation laws were not morally nor ethically correct. Society has evolved since the times of black segregation; however, civil disobedience still remains an important part of society today, as it is brought up in many political issues, debates and events that affect all people around the world. However, it should only be used when necessary and in the right context, or justifiable. Civil disobedience is only justified when it is used peacefully against unethical and immoral laws; however, it can be prevented using democracy and ethical lawmaking.

Civil disobedience is tantamount to raising the red signal against democracy when the latter deviates from the right course in accordance with the views of exponents. It can be considered as a kind of opposition or rather a very advanced shape of political and social resistance. Civil disobedience is not a commonplace form of political opposition, not because it is a negative form of political resistance, but because it occurs very rarely. It can be regarded as the most sophisticated case of the embodiment of democracy. Therefore, it is difficult if not impossible to imagine a democracy without the freedom of opposition including the right of civil disobedience. Freedom of