Civil Disobedience Essay

Improved Essays
According to Irish author Oscar Wilde “Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.” In all aspects of history, there has been disobedience. The definition of disobedience is the “failure or refusal to obey rules.” Disobedience has a negative connotation but in most major cases without disobedience progression would never have been possible. Disobedience is a necessary human trait for progression. It is human nature to want to go against authority. The overall concept of disobedience will never go away, there are so many simple examples that disobedience is used to get the desired outcome. One hypothetical …show more content…
The colonist went to the new lands and established a whole new way of life. Then they didn’t agree with all the laws that were being put in place, such as the Sugar Act, Stamp Act, and other taxes. Through not paying and trying to repeal those taxes they were identifying an issue they faced and the only way they could have gotten out of that situation was through disobedience. America chose to go against what was being forced and rebelled starting the American revolution literally encompassing the very idea of disobedience. In other cases that pertain to America’s progression through disobedience would be the fight for the equal rights pertaining woman. For years woman were fighting social-norms to gain simple rights. Women and men showed disobedience by making speeches, signing petitions, marching in parades and arguing that women deserve all of the rights of being an American. After a certain point, the oppressors can’t take the disobedience and either give in or start a conflict. A leading account of conflict of disobedience is slavery. In so many ways was their disobedience From slaves disobeying slaves masters, to the divide between the north and

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    With such a title, Henry David Thoreau 's "Civil Disobedience" describes what it means to be civilly disobedient. “Let your life be a counter friction to the machine”(Thoreau “Civil” 373) is the overarching thematic quote of the 1849 essay, stating that oneself should be the force that fights against an unjust institution. The prestigious Welton Academy of Peter Weir’s 1989 film Dead Poet’s Society is an exceptional example of a controlling machine. Within the academy, there is the rebellious Charlie Dalton. Within his group of friends, better known as the Dead Poet’s Society, he is the defiant student who embodies Thoreau’s "Civil Disobedience" and proves that the movie is transcendental.…

    • 1055 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made- disobedience and rebellion.” These words spoken from Oscar Wilde explain what has happened over decades. Time and time again, people have gone against the law to do what was right. Not only did it make a small difference, it changed what the future would be like for everyone.…

    • 834 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In history, civil disobedience has always played a big role when opposing corrupted power; by either changing a system or overthrowing a monarchy. Throughout time, many man and woman have stepped out of the social norms and with it creating the opportunity for a change of future generations. Individuals such as Martin Luther King, civil right activist who fought against segregation, are people that create a change in our society. As he once said “ We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.” , people like him are the ones that fight to obtain peace and eradicate unnecessary wars.…

    • 1181 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Civil Disobedience Dbq

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages

    As we take a look at the history of the United States, impacting a free society has not been easy. There have been many laws that have not treated everyone fairly. In order to impact a free society, many had to undergo civil disobedience in order to impact the free society that we live in today. Peaceful resistance to laws positively impact a free society. Without civil disobedience, it would have been almost impossible to make change in our society.…

    • 510 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Civil Disobedience Civil Disobedience is the refusal to obey any laws, taxes, or any fines without any violent acts. From Thomas Jefferson to Dr. martin Luther King Jr to David Thoreau. Each of these was a different case, but all impacted the world in the same way. Some people believe it keeps the government in check and others believe it shows defiance to the law. Many people like Thoreau believed that unjust laws existed and that the government needed improvement.…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Boston Disobedience

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Defiance Oscar Wilde stated that disobedience is a form of social progress because it involves the community coming together to face a conflict. In any country, state, or civilization; working together to overcome a dilemma is the only way to have a positive improvement for us people. When it comes to being very noncompliance with people that are in power, there tends to be bloodshed, it can cause the lives of some. It’ll hurt when there’s rebellions, or revolutions; people get hurt and some can die but the outcome of it should always be able to finish and accomplish the job for those who couldn’t make it. Of course, just like the Revolutionary War, when the colonies wanted to become autonomous and detach from Great Britain.…

    • 560 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Disobedience is often a term with a negative connotation. People generally associate it with going against authority and just acting how one feels they should. However, when the word is applied to history it can have a different context. Any changes through history were the result of someone going against a common view and standing up for what they believe in. Changes only happen when societies are willing to disobey the norm.…

    • 329 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Disobedience has and always will be necessary for changes throughout society. It is a valuable human trait that promotes social progress and many examples can be found throughout history that made a huge impact or change in the way the world is today. Important social changes can only be made through acts of disobedience to promote progress. A well known, famous, and historical example of disobedience comes from Mohandas Gandhi, the leader of the Indian independence movement in the once British-ruled India. Ghandi’s defiance of British laws over the empires salt monopoly sparked a wave of civil disobedience that contributed to expelling the British empire.…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Disobedience to Oscar Wilde in his eyes is known to be a social trait that advocates progress and is a “valuable human trait.” Throughout history we have had many outstanding changes having to do with people standing out that have promoted betterment in our nation and even today to this day. Like Martin Luther King Jr. who made it possible for African American people able to have the respect and rights they merit. Also a very brave woman that in time because of her disobedience of not following the rules led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott a movement that is famous today and forever will be. Rosa Parks who at only 15 years old, had not only disobey the law, but spurn to give her seat up to a white men on the Montgomery city bus that day March…

    • 501 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Martin Luther King Unjust

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Our society needs disobedience to break and reform the unjust law. We need heroes like Martin Luther King and Antigone to stand out for justice. They’re honorable man and woman. Conscience is vary yet we wouldn’t be an individual human being without our own individual…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Oscar Wilde once wisely stated that "it is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion" and I couldn't agree more. It isn't a secret that many of our country's most hideous laws and ideals have been shut down by the act of, usually peaceful, civil disobedience. These acts of civil disobedience have been carried out by the most respected and renowned leaders in our country that we still look up to today. A few of the most infamous examples include Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. who both fought the mistreatment and segregation of African Americans by being bold enough to stand up against the unjust laws being mandated over our country. When we think of civil disobedience our minds automatically go back to the civil rights era, ignoring the…

    • 545 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Disobedience is often looked at as an unfavorable trait. Disobedience can sometimes result in progress, but also other times it can result in distress or conflict. When the world as a whole is viewed, disobedience has been used as a tool either to gain triumph or to invoke conflict. Disobedience isn’t necessarily good or bad, it all depends on what the final goal is to determine whether it was worth it. In some cases disobedience is needed in order to make progress.…

    • 423 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Civil disobedience occurs not only in the society of America, but globally.…

    • 515 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Robert O’Connor Concord High School New Hampshire Like many things in life, civil disobedience, is all a matter of perspective. Whether it be the Great Muhammad Ali peacefully opposing his selection for the draft or Rosa Parks literally sitting down instead of standing up for what is right on a bus ride home, each and every case of civil disobedience has its ups and downs. Though, when talking about basic human rights, there is no room to be neutral, and that is why peaceful resistance to laws most certainly impacts a society positively. From an optimistic perspective, everything will be alright in the end. Despite Ali’s…

    • 548 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Civil Disobedience is a citizen’s duty in the case of noble responsibility especially if the law is unjust. I know that breaking a law that is severely unjust may lead to consequences, but it is right when it leads to the empowerment and will for the best. There is no law on the books saying you are forbidden from civil disobedience. As long as the law does not agree with your perspective, we, as citizens, can oppose that law and do the contrary of it.…

    • 499 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays