Civil Disobedience Argument

799 Words2 Pages

Civil disobedience falls under the first amendment of the US Constitution, freedom of speech. Citizens demonstrate peacefully in public places in order to address a topic that they may find flawed or problematic within the nation. One of the most recognisable civil disobedience demonstrations come from Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. during the American Civil Rights movement. From civil disobedience demonstrations like that of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., African Americans were able to speak the loudest not with their voices, but with their actions. Rosa Parks made social change by rallying others with her to boycott public transportation, hurting the practice financially so that blacks would no longer be forced to move or stand …show more content…

organised sit-ins at white restaurants or diners where blacks were not allowed to eat. The peaceful civil disobedience of unjust laws coupled with media coverage allowed others in America to see how brutally American citizens were being treated when they did not act violently. The institutionalised violence and murder of young Americans with dreams of a better future enraged Americans nationwide calling forth and demanding a change. The call for change began with an African American taking a seat in a restaurant or another public building as a demonstration of peaceful civil disobedience. Civil disobedience as a whole has been a positive addition to our free society because people can see that there is a problem worth paying attention to. Civil disobedience falls under the first amendment of the US Constitution, freedom of speech. Citizens demonstrate peacefully in public places in order to address a topic that they may find flawed or problematic within the nation. One of the most recognisable civil disobedience demonstrations come from Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. during the American Civil Rights movement. From civil disobedience demonstrations like that of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr., African Americans were able to speak the loudest not with their voices, but with their …show more content…

The institutionalised violence and murder of young Americans with dreams of a better future enraged Americans nationwide calling forth and demanding a change. The call for change began with an African American taking a seat in a restaurant or another public building as a demonstration of peaceful civil disobedience. Civil disobedience as a whole has been a positive addition to our free society because people can see that there is a problem worth their attention. Doing is more effective and attention grabbing than just saying what one believes in and actions speak louder than words for a reason. According to Newton's laws of motion, objections at rest will stay at rest until acted upon by an outside force. That outside force can be one person who does one thing that may seem insignificant but as that motion gains momentum, when the object hits its target, the impact will be far too large to ignore. Though civil disobedience may be illegal, as time progresses our laws need to progress with

Show More
Related

  • Civil Disobedience In Antigone By Martin Luther King

    1278 Words  | 3 Pages

    Non-violent direct action and respectful disagreement are a form of civil disobedience. Martin Luther King, Jr. defines “civil disobedience” as a way to show others what to do when a law is unjust and unreasonable. King is most famous for his role in leading the African American Civil Rights Movement and using non-violent civil disobedience to promote his beliefs. King also firmly believed that civil disobedience was the way to defeat racial segregation against African Americans. While leading a protest march on the streets, King was arrested and sent to jail. In response to his imprisonment and an article he read while there, King wrote Letter from Birmingham Jail, explaining that an injustice affects everyone and listed his own criteria for

    Read More

  • The Civil Rights Movement vs. The Black Liberation Movement

    1104 Words  | 3 Pages

    On The Duty of Civil Disobedience, written by Henry David Thoreau, explains that civil disobedience is the act of standing for your beliefs even though they are against the law. Thoreau goes on to say that the government (because it is ruled by the majority) is not always right for everyone especially the individual and the minority. Over the course of American history, there have been many different groups formed for the purpose of civil disobedience. The two that I am going to focus on are the activists of the Civil Rights Movement and the Black Panthers of the Black Liberation Movement. The Civil Rights Movement began in 1954 with the case of Brown vs. the Board of Education. It was basically lead by Martin Luther King Jr. whose teachings were of peaceful protesting and boycotting in order to achieve the goals of integration and equality for Black Americans (Small). The Black Liberation Movement started a few years later in 1960 and was later taken over and popularized by the Black Panthers in 1966. The basis of this movement was not just black equality but also black independence by any and every means necessary. The Panthers wanted blacks to be in control of their own neighborhoods (Acoli). These two protest movements had similar but at the same time very different platforms. The difference their effectiveness was caused by the difference in the techniques.

    Read More

  • Morris Liebman's Civil Disobedience

    1714 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to Morris Liebman, author of “Civil Disobedience: A Threat to Our Society Under Law,” “Never in the history of mankind have so many lived so freely, so rightfully, so humanely. This open democratic republic is man’s highest achievement—not only for what it has already accomplished, but more importantly because it affords the greatest opportunity for orderly change and the realization of man’s self-renewing aspirations.” What Liebman fails to realize is that while the United States of America has made improvements, the United States still has a far way to go before it can be considered a fair country. Liebman also states that “The plain fact of human nature is that the organized disobedience of masses stirs up the primitive. This has been true of a soccer crowd and a lynch mob. Psychologically and psychiatrically it is very clear that no man—no matter how well-intentioned—can keep group passions in control.” While disagreeing with the first example from Liebman, it would be difficult to disregard the way that many protests seem to spiral out of control. Peaceful protest for the most part remain peaceful, however some may turn violent very quickly. Liebman also believes that there is no such thing as “righteous civil disobedience” as men and women are deliberately disregarding laws set in place to protect the country, and regards it as deplorable and destructive(Liebman). To combat Liebman, a new age of civil disobedience is rolling in, a more inclusive type. With various social media platforms, word of walkouts and peaceful, with an emphasis on peaceful, protests are spread more quickly. These student led activist groups are popping up more quickly and are not lacking in passion. Many students of today are tired of being told their too young and inexperienced to be taking

    Read More

  • Rawls and King on Civil Disobedience

    773 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the Theory of Justice by John Rawls, he defines civil disobedience,” I shall begin by defining civil disobedience as a public, nonviolent, conscientious yet political act contrary to law usually done with the aim of bringing about a change in the law or policies of the government”.

    Read More

  • Paradox Of Civil Disobedience

    661 Words  | 2 Pages

    In our country’s history, Civil Disobedience has had positive effects upon legislation and societal norms. The First Amendment of the United States Constitution states five basic forms of expression that are to be protected by the government: Speech, Press, Assembly, Religion, and Petition. The Founders, in essence, created a means by which the average citizen can achieve political and social change. Justice William J. Brennan Jr. stated in 1989 that, “If there is a bedrock principle underlying the First Amendment, it is that government cannot prohibit the expression of an idea simply because the society finds the idea itself offensive or disagreeable.”* When citizens speak out or

    Read More

  • The Pros and Cons of Civil Disobedience

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    Civil disobedience is the refusal to obey civil laws in an effort to induce change in governmental policy or legislation, characterized by the use of passive resistance or other nonviolent means. The use of nonviolence runs throughout history however the fusion of organized mass struggle and nonviolence is relatively new.

    Read More

  • Professor David S. Meyer Civil Disobedience

    313 Words  | 1 Pages

    In the chapter “Civil Disobedience” by Professor David S. Meyer, he talks about many different movements and social groups that had made an impact within society. He goes over the different areas that civil disobedience covers, and gives detailed examples about how civil disobedience leads to change of some sort. Meyer explains that in order to fully understand what civil disobedience is, it has to be looked at on a different level. Many people have their own interpretation of what they think civil disobedience is. It is seen as challenging public authority, and most of the time leading to an uproar of different groups participating in civil disobedience. When social movements take action into commencing civil disobedience, they do it

    Read More

  • Rosa Parks Significance

    570 Words  | 2 Pages

    Throughout history, many historical figures that has had a very astounding impact on the world today were people who were willing to go against the norm or sometimes even the law. This act of civil disobedience is not a crime but rather it is a eye opener. This is because sometimes it takes breaking the law to show the flaws hidden within the law itself. In the case of Rosa Parks, her civil disobedience is what sparked change and allowed the nation to see the unsightliness of the law that put her and others into confinement.

    Read More

  • How Did Rosa Parks Commit Civil Disobedience?

    580 Words  | 2 Pages

    The free society that is America was founded on the idea that the government can be wrong, and requires people to unite against it in order to fix their government's mistake. Many people believe that civil disobedience is just an excuse to break the laws, but sometimes laws must be broken in order to show people how wrong they really are. People that have committed civil disobedience helped show our country how foolish it was being.

    Read More

  • Civil Disobedience as a Method of Protest

    875 Words  | 2 Pages

    By definition, civil disobedience means to actively refuse to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government or of an occupying power without resorting to physical violence (Wikipedia 2007). Many of the influential people in history have felt passionately about what they believe. These passions caused them to rebel against a government or authority. Many times they felt so strongly about what they believed and how they were being treated was wrong they became disobedient. They would take physical and verbal abuse for being disobedient but would never retaliate. They believed in what they thought was wrong and tried to change the way they were governed. Albert Einstein once said 'never do anything against conscience even if the state demands it.' Albert Einstein's views seem to be reasonable. The claim by Albert Einstein is accurate because people should stand up for what they believe, they should know when they are right and their government is wrong, and they should trust in themselves and their own beliefs.

    Read More

  • Civil Disobedience And Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr.

    799 Words  | 2 Pages

    Justice is often misconceived as injustice, and thus some essential matters that require more legal attentions than the others are neglected; ergo, some individuals aim to change that. The principles of civil disobedience, which are advocated in both “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau and “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr. to the society, is present up to this time in the U.S. for that purpose.

    Read More

  • Civil Disobedience In The Vietnam War

    510 Words  | 2 Pages

    Civil disobedience has long proven a positive force in American society. In the early decades of the United States, Thomas Jefferson understood why the right to rebel is written into the Constitution. When government institutions fail to act, Jefferson believed that protests could force action. Honest rebellions, as Jefferson called them, educate the public and make the concerns of the minority important to the majority. Overall, Jefferson understood that civil disobedience benefits the constitutional system. The Vietnam War protests illustrate how exactly civil disobedience can positively impact on American life.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Civil Disobedience In To Kill A Mockingbird

    560 Words  | 2 Pages

    The act of civil disobedience existed for a long time, dating back to the Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego, and early Christians. The height of the civil rights movement was the 1950’s to 1960’s. During this time period, many activists fought for racial equality and rights. Civil disobedience was practiced by these people who fought for racial equality and rights. Martin Luther King Jr. and Atticus Finch in To Kill a Mocking Bird used civil disobedience as an act of fighting back against injustice in order for a better society. These two people, Martin Luther King Jr. and Atticus Finch, of the time of the 20th century practiced civil disobedience in the name of justice.

    Read More

  • Nelson Mandela: The Art of Civil Disobedience

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    Nelson Mandela: The Art of Civil Disobedience Have you ever wondered what it was like to make a difference and even change something in your country? How would you feel if you were considered a hero by your people? Civil disobedience is a form of protest that uses a law to show that it is not needed. The protestors intentionally violate a law that they are protesting against (Suber). For example, Rosa Parks used civil disobedience by sitting at the front of the bus because she believed that all people are the same and deserved equal rights.

    Read More

  • Civil Disobedience Effectiveness

    1059 Words  | 3 Pages

    In fact, The Women’s March on Washington 2017 was a way to draw attention to the issue. At the Women’s March, hundreds of thousands of women were there to protest. They were protesting for women's rights and LGBT. Certainly, the march helped people come together as one and realize the importance of Women's rights and LGBT laws. It also made people realize that there is still discrimination (New York Times). The women's march used civil disobedience because it drew attention to the issue. It drew attention because they were addressing the situation and showing how men and women are treated differently in the US. Particularly how men have more rights and freedom than women. Another example of someone who used civil disobedience is Rosa Parks. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus to a white passenger. This lead to the Civil Rights Movement. After that, they started the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which was when blacks decided to not ride on the Montgomery Bus for several weeks. As a result, the boycott was a success and it encouraged the mass protests demanding civil rights for blacks (World Book Online). Rosa Parks drew a lot of attention to herself because she refused to move seats on the bus. Consequently, many people know of Rosa Parks because she made a key difference in the inequality of blacks and whites in the US. Also, she fought for what believed in and didn't stop fighting until she got what she

    Read More

More about Civil Disobedience Argument

Open Document