Civil Disobedience

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Civil Disobedience Civil disobedience: “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 non-violent means” (Houghton, 2000). Although this definition seems broad enough to cover any aspect of a discussion, there is still much to be said about the subject. Martin Luther King wrote a fifty paragraph letter about the timeliness and wisdom in such an action, while Hannah Arendt managed to squeeze her definition into six (extra long) paragraphs regarding Denmark and the Jews. But, regardless of the fact that people relate this topic in many different ways, they always seem to end up with the same basic principles: civil disobedience is the resolve of a just conscience; it is a means through which mountains can be moved quietly and strategically; and if applied correctly, it can permanently alter the course of a single individual or an entire nation. In ancient times those who chose to undertake the perilous act of civil disobedience—the early Christians who defied the Roman Empire, Socrates, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—did not do so lightly, for in these times such acts were generally met with an immediate and often painful death (King, 2000). In effect, it took a strong conscience to resort to such actions. This same ideal held true in more recent times, as demonstrated by Denmark in their defiance of Nazi ideals and Martin Luther King Jr. in his actions against racial segregation in the United States. Against such powerful forces as these, there must exist a force... ... middle of paper ... ... by King, answering why II. Convincing the oppressors A. Means of convincing 1. How the Danes won the support of a few Nazis 2. How King won support from some members of the white race III. The accomplishments of civil disobedience A. The role of positive tension in the success of the act B. The end result of any civil disobedient act should be the satisfaction that a few minds have altered their original course of thinking. Works Cited Arendt, Hannah. “Denmark and the Jews.” The Norton Reader: AANP. Ed. Arthur M. Eastman, et al. New York: Norton 2000. 801-805 Houghton Mifflin, publisher. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000 King, Martin Luther, Jr. “Letter From Birmingham Jail.” The Norton Reader. 887-900

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