Civil Disobedience Helpful
Is civil disobedience helpful or harmful? This has been a topic of debate for years. There are so many arguments from civil disobedience undermines our government to civil disobedience gains people the rights they deserve. Which is correct? Civil disobedience is the act of opposing a law one considers unjust and peacefully disobeying it while accepting the consequences. It has been shown many times that this is not only helpful but essential to our government. A free society’s government, such as America’s, was made to serve and protect the people. If there is a law that consistently harms or oppresses the people than the government is not doing what it was made to do. It cannot serve and oppress at the same time. When people notice a law
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This could not be farther from the truth. People that partake in civil disobedience do not do so to disrespect the government; they do so to remind the government of its core values and to remind the government it is there because the people, all people, want it there. Carl Cohen said it best in that “although the manner of civil disobedients is sometimes defiant, their conduct is more often a manifestation of respect for law than of contempt for it. Realizing that the law he breaks applies to him, the civil disobedient violates it knowingly in an effort to correct what he believes to be a wrong infinitely worse than the one he commits, and thereby to improve the system of laws.” Also, included in the definition of civil disobedience are the words “accepting the consequences”. If a person is willing to accept the consequences of breaking a law they are not looking to harm the government. Civil disobedients are not looking to harm the government, only help it better fit the needs of a free society. Without civil disobedience America would not be a free society. Without the peaceful breaking of an unjust law Americans would not have the rights they deserve. Therefore, civil disobedience does not only positively impact a free society; it is necessary for a free
This could not be farther from the truth. People that partake in civil disobedience do not do so to disrespect the government; they do so to remind the government of its core values and to remind the government it is there because the people, all people, want it there. Carl Cohen said it best in that “although the manner of civil disobedients is sometimes defiant, their conduct is more often a manifestation of respect for law than of contempt for it. Realizing that the law he breaks applies to him, the civil disobedient violates it knowingly in an effort to correct what he believes to be a wrong infinitely worse than the one he commits, and thereby to improve the system of laws.” Also, included in the definition of civil disobedience are the words “accepting the consequences”. If a person is willing to accept the consequences of breaking a law they are not looking to harm the government. Civil disobedients are not looking to harm the government, only help it better fit the needs of a free society. Without civil disobedience America would not be a free society. Without the peaceful breaking of an unjust law Americans would not have the rights they deserve. Therefore, civil disobedience does not only positively impact a free society; it is necessary for a free