Civil Disobedience During The Civil Rights Movement

The United States was built on disobedience, although the Revolutionary War was anything but peaceful, it created a foundation that the founding fathers took into consideration when writing the US Constitution. The colonists saw and disapproved of the unfair treatment they were receiving from the British government and decided to stand against it, for the sake of a new and improved colony--but violence is not always the most practical or efficient way to ask for change. The first constitutional amendment established freedom of speech for the American people to use instead of revolting and rioting every time something controversial or unjust is revealed. During the Civil rights movement, Martin Luther King Jr. was the leader of various peaceful protests to stop the unfair treatment of the …show more content…
Refusing to pay taxes that were going to contribute the Mexican American war. Henry David Thoreau put in jail. Thoreau was not one to fight with his fists but with his words and actions. He could have easily been released if he contributed to the finances of the war but he stood his ground, even if it meant staying in jail. This is a form of peaceful civil disobedience that is effective because it shows the rest of the citizens that his morals are more important than his freedom. Young children are taught the history of the United States and it mostly covers all of the wars and treatise that have lead up to this point in our country but, the education system fails to go into depth about the power of words and peaceful neglect. Things can get done without hurting innocent people, and change is possible without having to spend so much money on weapons and military. The Bill of Rights gave the citizens of the United States the freedom to speak their minds and express their opinions through words and it is time the next generation is taught the benefits and the power that their words can