In today’s society, Civil disobedience has not only helped shape the way we pursue certain people, but it has positively impacted American society and shaped us into free individuals.
Today, many think one disobeys a law because he or she has something against the government or the way our country is trying to enforce a law, but the real secret behind civil disobedience is far more complex and comes from people’s consciences and what we believe is moral. Take for instance the women's suffrage movement that took place between 1848 and 1920. Kayla Starr states in her article. “the role of civil disobedience in democracy”, that when “a person’s conscience and the laws clash , that person must follow his or her conscience”. The thousands of …show more content…
Every single American that participated in those event was aware that what they were doing was disobeying the law, but they stood up for those who were not brave enough to do it, or were not able to physically do so, and revolutionized the United states. The standing rock protest perfectly reflects the idea of civil disobedience and how it positively impacted our country. The outburst took place in North Dakota where the state wanted to place a pipeline through a Native American Preserve, the riot raised many concerns regarding the state’s tolerance of civil disobedience. This brings up the idea that there needs to be a clear distinction between civil disobedience and rioting. In the case of Standing Rock, the tribe was rioting against what they believed was invading their territory. Those impacted decided to stand up for their rights and protest but many viewed it as a violent attack and a selfish move. Depicting a protest as a riot is a form of silencing that shows the government’s unwillingness to engage with activists or view them as political agents with legitimate concerns meaning that the tribe was not disobeying but was only standing up for their …show more content…
Not only is civil disobedience part of our history but it also why we have the right to express ourselves today. Not only is standing up for what we believe in a way to draw attention to an issue we believe is important but it also allows everyone to be more aware of what is going on. If it weren’t for the protests against women suffrage or Martin Luther King’s inspirational “I have a dream” speech, segregation and “male over female” power would still be present. It is thanks to inspirational people such as Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela and many others that everyone is able to sit in the same classroom without being segregated or looked upon in any way. Civil disobedience has helped shaped our country in many ways starting from the first colonies all the way up to the latest riot in north Dakota. We need to emphasize that disobedience also comes with rewards because people often think of it as a reason to get arrested, or a waste of time, but success comes with failures and the only way our country can move forward is to preserve what some of our inspiring ancestors gifted us with–a path to freedom through
Today, many think one disobeys a law because he or she has something against the government or the way our country is trying to enforce a law, but the real secret behind civil disobedience is far more complex and comes from people’s consciences and what we believe is moral. Take for instance the women's suffrage movement that took place between 1848 and 1920. Kayla Starr states in her article. “the role of civil disobedience in democracy”, that when “a person’s conscience and the laws clash , that person must follow his or her conscience”. The thousands of …show more content…
Every single American that participated in those event was aware that what they were doing was disobeying the law, but they stood up for those who were not brave enough to do it, or were not able to physically do so, and revolutionized the United states. The standing rock protest perfectly reflects the idea of civil disobedience and how it positively impacted our country. The outburst took place in North Dakota where the state wanted to place a pipeline through a Native American Preserve, the riot raised many concerns regarding the state’s tolerance of civil disobedience. This brings up the idea that there needs to be a clear distinction between civil disobedience and rioting. In the case of Standing Rock, the tribe was rioting against what they believed was invading their territory. Those impacted decided to stand up for their rights and protest but many viewed it as a violent attack and a selfish move. Depicting a protest as a riot is a form of silencing that shows the government’s unwillingness to engage with activists or view them as political agents with legitimate concerns meaning that the tribe was not disobeying but was only standing up for their …show more content…
Not only is civil disobedience part of our history but it also why we have the right to express ourselves today. Not only is standing up for what we believe in a way to draw attention to an issue we believe is important but it also allows everyone to be more aware of what is going on. If it weren’t for the protests against women suffrage or Martin Luther King’s inspirational “I have a dream” speech, segregation and “male over female” power would still be present. It is thanks to inspirational people such as Rosa Parks, Nelson Mandela and many others that everyone is able to sit in the same classroom without being segregated or looked upon in any way. Civil disobedience has helped shaped our country in many ways starting from the first colonies all the way up to the latest riot in north Dakota. We need to emphasize that disobedience also comes with rewards because people often think of it as a reason to get arrested, or a waste of time, but success comes with failures and the only way our country can move forward is to preserve what some of our inspiring ancestors gifted us with–a path to freedom through