Civil Disobedience Thoreau declares, “The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think is right” (Ogunye). He ostensibly acknowledges no authority other than that of his own moral sense. In this essay, civil disobedience will be defined as the unwillingness to obey civil laws in an attempt to prompt change in governmental law or procedure, demonstrated by the use of nonviolent methods. The matter in question, then, is whether such civil disobedience is justified in a democratic society. The value of this essay’s argument is fairness; that is, defending human rights and granting each his or her due.…
Civil disobedience is defined as members of a community choosing to actively disobey laws in protest of a cause. As proponents of civil disobedience, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Gandhi advocated for those following their causes to complete acts disregarding unjust laws put in place to draw attention to their separate causes. This method of fighting for a cause emphasizes understanding of the necessity for change, that people are actively defying the law to draw attention to the unfair systems in place. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. used this to promote his movement of racial equality as compared with Gandhi’s movement for the separation of India from Britain. Both of their similar philosophies resulted in a degree of success, “the peaceful…
Fatima Tahera Mohammed Civil disobedience is refusing to follow the law. I think peaceful resistance to laws is a positive impact a free society. They are many famous people in history who refuse to follow the laws. It can be for a good reason. Some famous people are Rosa Park, Mohandas Gandhi, and Martin Luther King Jr.…
As stated in “What Civil Disobedience Is”, “Civil disobedience is an act of protest, deliberately unlawful, conscientiously and publicly performed” (Cohen 39). In most cases, civil disobedience is caused by an individual transgressing an unjust law in favor of a higher, unwritten law. Usually, civil disobedience occurs in a non-violent fashion as well. For instance, King proclaims that protest will be done “peacefully, openly, cheerfully, because our aim is to persuade” (qtd. in Cohen 40).…
Both Dr. Martin Luther King’s letter from Birmingham city jail as well as Henry David Thoreau’s civil disobedience shows how we should all practice civil disobedience for justice and to right an unjust law or action. Which bring up the question of whether civil disobedience is effective or ineffective in achieving change? Based on history we see civil disobedience is an effective way to achieve change in democratic countries. Civil disobedience can only work in a democratic country because in a democracy the government gains all its power from the people. In the case of dr. martin Luther king, he executed a nonviolent movement with thousands of fellow citizens to achieve change.…
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.…
Civil Disobedience, or peaceful resistance to unfair laws, positively impacts and is necessary in a free society. For an example, we need look only at the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s led by Martin Luther King Jr. The Jim Crow Laws that ravaged the South at the time were incredibly unfair towards blacks, and as such, protests were necessary. Non-violent protests were the only option in Dr. King’s opinion, and rightly so. Violence, as promoted by Malcolm X, would only be detrimental to the cause.…
Peaceful resistance to laws has the possibility of having a positive or negative impact upon a free society depending on the situation, but throughout history it has been proven that more often than not civil disobedience has brought positive change. It all depends upon circumstance when deciding whether or not something can be good or bad for a society and this includes civil disobedience. While it has impacted our society positively, there are ways for it to be abused by the masses in order for them to get what they want or for the result to turn out as less than desirable, though it is unlikely that it would ever work out that way. For example, Cohen states in Seven Arguments Against Civil Disobedience that one of the arguments…
Civil disobedience is the act of opposing a law one considers unjust and peacefully disobeying it while accepting the consequences. Looking at American history, it is clear for many to see that peaceful resistance is a core aspect in forcing change to occur ie. women’s suffrage, civil rights, anti war, gay rights, the labor movement, and etc. Without peaceful resistance, change would not occur. Change is rooted in the shadows of peaceful resistance, it’s what has never failed this country in making a difference.…
Civil disobedience occurs when one intentionally breaks a law, often to protest said law. It was this form of protest that caused King to be detained at the Birmingham jail. He had been arrested for parading without a permit, after he was denied a permit by the city of Birmingham. (King, 841) It is very important to King, if this act of civil disobedience is to be morally justified, that “one who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty.” (King, 841)…
Civil Disobedience is the right of a person to oppose a law that one believes is unjust. This is a right of an individual because their actions are a result of their feeling as though a law or regulation isn't just or fair. By peacefully opposing such a law, this person may positively influence a free society, as a demonstration of one's personal beliefs and standing up for their rights. As Rosa Parks stated, "You must never be fearful about what you are doing when it is right", people are encouraged to stand against laws that go against their personal beliefs of justice and equality. The U.S. Constitution supports a freedom of speech, enabling an individual to believe in and state whatever they wish.…
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.…
I, personally, believe that civil disobedience is extremely effective and in the end produces a positive effect. In order for the movement to be effective, it has to directly affect a group or several groups of people. When these people feel that their rights or interests aren't being protected or violated, then they make a stand. Those who are gaining from their demise view these people with criticism or call their movement useless or a "threat to society." Back in the 1800s Henry David Thoreau wrote Civil Disobedience.…
According to the United State's Constitution, within the first amendment, it states that as a citizen of the United States, one may peacefully assemble and petition the government. The United States was founded by the idea that as inhabitants of a country, one should be given certain rights that can not be revoked by the leader of the country, nor the government. Due to the King of Great Britain's tyranny over America, the people of America have felt a certain pressure pressing down upon them, restricting their freedoms. The Boston Tea Act, was one of their protests towards the unfair taxes that were inflicted upon them. Civil disobedience is continuous throughout history.…
Civil Disobedience have a much more powerful movement then does violence. It was used during the civil rights movement by Martin Luther King, during the Vietnam war, and lastly Gandhi for freedom from the British. In On the Duty of Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau “the soldier is applauded who refuses to serve in an unjust war by those who do not refuse to sustain the unjust government which makes the war.” Thoreau was talking about the Mexican American War but in context of protesting for racial profiling the one that protest for the right of the good and stop kill and practice racial profiling. Civil disobedience is form of protest that has been successfully used across history for the greater good and man of the times it works.…