Civil Disobedience: The Power Of The Powerless

“The power of the powerless,” is how former president of Czechoslovakia, Vaclav Havel, described civil disobedience—he was not wrong. This description holds true to the history of the United States of America and in retrospect, the history of the world. Rosa Parks, Mahatma Gandhi, José Bové, Henry David Thoreau, and Tommie Smith are only a few of the countless people who suffered the consequences of civil disobedience to change society for the better. As it has been mirrored through the previous year's extending beyond the era of our Founding Fathers, peaceful resistance to a higher authority does, in the long run, positively benefit a free society. In July of 1846 Henry David Thoreau was arrested for tax evasion. He refused to pay as a protest against the spread of slavery. Although it definitely was not the first antebellum act of peaceful protest, it is a more prominent one. In his publication “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau argued that in order for any government to expect their citizens to pay taxes, they must first end injustice in society. An anonymous character ended up bailing Thoreau out by paying his poll tax, but this indeed does prove that a single person can inspire others. This also proves how it is likely a peaceful act of civil disobedience will be backed by many. …show more content…
There are times when a government refuses to hear out the lower classes concerns and instead acts in its own self-interest. In these types of scenarios the powerless can find power by peacefully disobeying the law. And even though the rebels may have to suffer consequences, in the end they gain the attention of their nation and may also inspire change. Ultimately if a group has unity they will achieve great feats as did Mahatma Gandhi and the rest of India. Confirming my final stance, I believe that as long as no one gets hurt, civil disobedience has, does and will continue to act for the greater good of any given