The act of civil disobedience has been observed throughout history. More often than not, civil disobedience has been used for the betterment of societal values and, therefore, positively impacts a free society. Both great minds and great people alike have practiced civil disobedience in order to rectify laws or rules that they believed were unjust. Civil disobedience positively impacts a free society by allowing its citizens the freedom to oppose laws they deem unjust, by drawing attention to unjust or unconstitutional laws or acts, and by creating situations in which unjust laws may be altered or removed. In a free society, citizens are given as much freedom as possible while maintaining social order. In order to maintain order, governments
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Civil disobedience changes that. Large acts of civil disobedience can quickly reach the media and the citizens of that free society. When this happens, massive amounts of attention are drawn towards the cause of the civil disobedience. Edward Snowden accomplished this when he leaked information stating that the National Security Agency was collecting information on countless Americans and citizens of other countries. Snowden believed that this was wrong and the news reached the ears of millions of people who quickly became upset with the United States government. When civil disobedience highlights actions or laws that some may find unjust, it gives the nation time to ponder whether or not the actions or laws in question should be altered, discontinued, or …show more content…
It allows the citizens of a nation to peacefully disobey laws or actions taken by government that they deem unjust. This is important because the government can be subject to corruption as Henry David Thoreau stated. Civil disobedience can also draw large amounts of attention to laws or actions that some or many may view as unjust. This is important because it can inform the citizens of a nation of possible injustices while giving that nation the opportunity to decide whether or not those laws or actions are actually unjust or not. This occurred when Edward Snowden leaked information about the National Security Agency’s data collection program. Lastly, civil disobedience can bring about the alteration or removal of potentially unjust laws or actions. This was observed when Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. crusaded for the civil rights of African Americans and when the Alaskan Keystone pipeline was rejected after numerous protests and sit-ins took place. Ultimately, civil disobedience allows citizens to express their distaste towards laws or acts they deem unfair while having the potential to improve current legislature by adapting it more towards the needs and wants of the
Civil disobedience changes that. Large acts of civil disobedience can quickly reach the media and the citizens of that free society. When this happens, massive amounts of attention are drawn towards the cause of the civil disobedience. Edward Snowden accomplished this when he leaked information stating that the National Security Agency was collecting information on countless Americans and citizens of other countries. Snowden believed that this was wrong and the news reached the ears of millions of people who quickly became upset with the United States government. When civil disobedience highlights actions or laws that some may find unjust, it gives the nation time to ponder whether or not the actions or laws in question should be altered, discontinued, or …show more content…
It allows the citizens of a nation to peacefully disobey laws or actions taken by government that they deem unjust. This is important because the government can be subject to corruption as Henry David Thoreau stated. Civil disobedience can also draw large amounts of attention to laws or actions that some or many may view as unjust. This is important because it can inform the citizens of a nation of possible injustices while giving that nation the opportunity to decide whether or not those laws or actions are actually unjust or not. This occurred when Edward Snowden leaked information about the National Security Agency’s data collection program. Lastly, civil disobedience can bring about the alteration or removal of potentially unjust laws or actions. This was observed when Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. crusaded for the civil rights of African Americans and when the Alaskan Keystone pipeline was rejected after numerous protests and sit-ins took place. Ultimately, civil disobedience allows citizens to express their distaste towards laws or acts they deem unfair while having the potential to improve current legislature by adapting it more towards the needs and wants of the