Examples Of Civil Disobedience In America
Civil Disobedience in America
There are many traps one can fall into when beginning an essay on civil disobedience. From the quoting of Thoreau, “There will never be a really free and enlightened state until the state comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived,” to the Merriam Webster dictionary definition, “the refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government” smoothly guiding the reader into civil disobedience. Thoreau, emphasising the power of the individual, and the definition setting a foundation, highlight different facets of peaceful protest. However, both of these examples, even when woven together in a not-so-witty introduction, fail to recognize the magnitude of the role civil disobedience has played in shaping the modern world. Non-violent civil disobedience comes in many forms, always with the public intention of achieving some sort of government change in a manner not physically harmful to others. Through appreciating the dynamic place peaceful resistance has in world history, society can recognize the potential civil disobedience has as a force for good. …show more content…
America was founded by a semi-organized, angry band of colonies protesting their oppressive mother’s laws. From the Boston Tea Party, to the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King Jr., to the student protests against the Vietnam War, many major turning points in the fabric of America derived from acts of civil disobedience. Without the courageous acts of people willing to accept harsh consequences, these movements would have failed. Without these movements, The United States would not necessarily guarantee the freedoms, like a woman’s right to vote, many Americans take for granted
There are many traps one can fall into when beginning an essay on civil disobedience. From the quoting of Thoreau, “There will never be a really free and enlightened state until the state comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived,” to the Merriam Webster dictionary definition, “the refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government” smoothly guiding the reader into civil disobedience. Thoreau, emphasising the power of the individual, and the definition setting a foundation, highlight different facets of peaceful protest. However, both of these examples, even when woven together in a not-so-witty introduction, fail to recognize the magnitude of the role civil disobedience has played in shaping the modern world. Non-violent civil disobedience comes in many forms, always with the public intention of achieving some sort of government change in a manner not physically harmful to others. Through appreciating the dynamic place peaceful resistance has in world history, society can recognize the potential civil disobedience has as a force for good. …show more content…
America was founded by a semi-organized, angry band of colonies protesting their oppressive mother’s laws. From the Boston Tea Party, to the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King Jr., to the student protests against the Vietnam War, many major turning points in the fabric of America derived from acts of civil disobedience. Without the courageous acts of people willing to accept harsh consequences, these movements would have failed. Without these movements, The United States would not necessarily guarantee the freedoms, like a woman’s right to vote, many Americans take for granted