On April 12, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. led a peaceful protest in the streets of Birmingham, Alabama, standing up to the rampant racism and segregation in the city. Instead of a positive reception, his noble undertaking earned him a jail term. During his incarceration, Dr. King wrote one of the most famous texts of the Civil Rights Era: The Letter from the Birmingham Jail. In this letter, Dr. King penned the words: “We know through painful experience that freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed.” Dr. King understood that people have power. He understood that people drive the wheels of reform. He understood that people form the collective conscience of society. He understood that it is
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The more a society champions the collective rights and will of the people, the more improved it becomes. Why? Societies are directed by governments. Governments are instituted for two tasks: protecting people’s rights and proclaiming their will. The Declaration of Independence affirms the obligation to protect people’s rights when it states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights... That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The U.S. Constitution, the plan for implementing these doctrines from the Declaration, begins with the words, “We the People.” These words show the Founder’s fidelity to the people. The will of the people and the protection of their rights are paramount in any free society. The more rights that are protected and voices that are heard, the more improved a society …show more content…
In any society facing injustice, there will be those who are ignorant about crucial issues. Standing up to injustice through civil disobedience is often the only way to gain the attention of society. Gatherers of information are drawn to report on these acts, which in turn draws the concern of society’s collective conscience. Acts of civil disobedience stimulate public dialogue by gaining the attention of society, causing the issue at hand to be raised throughout the public. A perfect example of this is the current clash over the Dakota Access Pipeline. The controversy is over a proposed pipeline to transport crude oil through Native American burial sites in North Dakota. This fight has persisted for over a year. Only recently, however, has this project appeared on society’s radar, when a series of actions involving civil disobedience drew the attention of the U.S. populace. Now, because of these acts of civil disobedience, a once forgotten issue has been propelled into the public eye. This demonstrates the power of civil disobedience to direct public dialogue towards an issue, and stimulate society’s collective
The more a society champions the collective rights and will of the people, the more improved it becomes. Why? Societies are directed by governments. Governments are instituted for two tasks: protecting people’s rights and proclaiming their will. The Declaration of Independence affirms the obligation to protect people’s rights when it states: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights... That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” The U.S. Constitution, the plan for implementing these doctrines from the Declaration, begins with the words, “We the People.” These words show the Founder’s fidelity to the people. The will of the people and the protection of their rights are paramount in any free society. The more rights that are protected and voices that are heard, the more improved a society …show more content…
In any society facing injustice, there will be those who are ignorant about crucial issues. Standing up to injustice through civil disobedience is often the only way to gain the attention of society. Gatherers of information are drawn to report on these acts, which in turn draws the concern of society’s collective conscience. Acts of civil disobedience stimulate public dialogue by gaining the attention of society, causing the issue at hand to be raised throughout the public. A perfect example of this is the current clash over the Dakota Access Pipeline. The controversy is over a proposed pipeline to transport crude oil through Native American burial sites in North Dakota. This fight has persisted for over a year. Only recently, however, has this project appeared on society’s radar, when a series of actions involving civil disobedience drew the attention of the U.S. populace. Now, because of these acts of civil disobedience, a once forgotten issue has been propelled into the public eye. This demonstrates the power of civil disobedience to direct public dialogue towards an issue, and stimulate society’s collective