Tom Mullen's Argue Of Civil Disobedience
Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society because it is exercising the rights of it’s citizens as well as proving that the government is not always correct, and the biggest changes normally come about from civil disobedience. Civil disobedience has been used to speak against the United States government when it showed that those in power wouldn’t change for the better.
Civil disobedience was not well known for the abolition of slaves. David Thoreau called for it in “Civil Disobedience,” written in 1849, claiming that the government showed faulty in handling slavery. Thoreau claimed “the government itself… is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it,” (Thoreau par 1). Government officials …show more content…
History has shown that given time, this peaceful disobedience was appreciated in its own way. In Tom Mullen’s article, “Muhammad Ali’s Anti-War Stand Was Civil Disobedience, Not Draft Dodging,” written in 2016, he explains that Ali’s disobedience was very controversial, and sometimes still is. Many believed the Vietnam War was a war the United States should never have fought. Ali also saw this, claiming that the Vietcong was not his enemy, but the white people in America. He believed in “non-aggression” which was rooted from his religion and this “non-aggression” fueled his peaceful disobedience, his refusal to be drafted. “Ali never dodged the draft; he opposed it, accepting the legal consequences without any attempt to evade them,” (Mullen par 2). Many believed the war was necessary, which is why Ali had been “reviled by a large portion of the American public,” for not doing his duty as a citizen (Mullen par 5). Ali had lost during this battle of the draft, including his boxing title. These challenges did not deter him. The draft was deemed wrong, and those like Ali that spoke so publicly against it showed how wrong it truly was. The draft was a blockage of a free society, just as slavery was, and the United States could not truly consider itself a free society if it were to force its citizens to fight in a war they didn’t believe in. Ali’s disobedience has shown that, although controversial, defying the government through civil disobedience can positively impact the free society of the United
Civil disobedience was not well known for the abolition of slaves. David Thoreau called for it in “Civil Disobedience,” written in 1849, claiming that the government showed faulty in handling slavery. Thoreau claimed “the government itself… is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it,” (Thoreau par 1). Government officials …show more content…
History has shown that given time, this peaceful disobedience was appreciated in its own way. In Tom Mullen’s article, “Muhammad Ali’s Anti-War Stand Was Civil Disobedience, Not Draft Dodging,” written in 2016, he explains that Ali’s disobedience was very controversial, and sometimes still is. Many believed the Vietnam War was a war the United States should never have fought. Ali also saw this, claiming that the Vietcong was not his enemy, but the white people in America. He believed in “non-aggression” which was rooted from his religion and this “non-aggression” fueled his peaceful disobedience, his refusal to be drafted. “Ali never dodged the draft; he opposed it, accepting the legal consequences without any attempt to evade them,” (Mullen par 2). Many believed the war was necessary, which is why Ali had been “reviled by a large portion of the American public,” for not doing his duty as a citizen (Mullen par 5). Ali had lost during this battle of the draft, including his boxing title. These challenges did not deter him. The draft was deemed wrong, and those like Ali that spoke so publicly against it showed how wrong it truly was. The draft was a blockage of a free society, just as slavery was, and the United States could not truly consider itself a free society if it were to force its citizens to fight in a war they didn’t believe in. Ali’s disobedience has shown that, although controversial, defying the government through civil disobedience can positively impact the free society of the United