From the informal rules that governed nomadic and pastoral tribes' behavior to the constitutions that govern today's nations, humans have imposed guidelines on their interpersonal interactions. As cities developed and civilizations rose, people used these guidelines to consolidate their societies and prevent widespread chaos. However, breaking these rules had consequences. For example, under the 1700s BCE Code of Hammurabi, if a man killed another man - of equal social status - he would have his hands cut off. In a modern context, if a person commits a felony or a severe crime, they face prolonged imprisonment and a fee at best, and euthanasia or life imprisonment at worst. Civil disobedience is a byproduct of free society, which entails that
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For example, after the 1765 Stamp Act, Americans throughout the country mobilized and boycotted the usage of stamps on printed documents. It was the colonists' first organized resistance movement, though some colonists - such as Benjamin Franklin - had agitated for independence from Britain a decade earlier. Consequently, civil disobedience drew the colonists together and fortified them, instilling within them a sense of patriotism and an idea of justice. The Boston Tea Party further galvanized colonists, especially when the acting English government, as retribution, implemented the Intolerable Acts. The act of resistance resulted in a pushback that ironically helped strengthen the opposition and their belief in justice. Though the peaceful resistance of the Patriots eventually translated into the War for Independence, a physical war would never have occurred had protests and boycotts not happened when laws they considered unfair were laid down, and without that war - and indirectly, resistance to existing laws - there would be no United States to speak of …show more content…
With the recent executive ban on Muslims from seven Middle Eastern and African countries, protests have broken out throughout the country, including people standing in front of the White House to disrupt daily business or the recent "No Ban, No Wall" protest that occurred Saturday in San Francisco. Ultimately, the ban is still being contested; although a federal judge struck it down a few days ago, the Justice Department issued an appeal Saturday to overturn the decision. Although there is no guarantee that these protests will produce their desired effect, the permanent removal of the ban, the federal judge's ruling is a testimony to the effect peaceful resistance has in convincing the judiciary and legislature - even if the executive is unconvinced - that there is a problem to be fixed. The situation bears similarity to the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling in that, although resistance came from many Americans, not specifically from the executive, the ruling was influenced by civil rights movements utilizing civil disobedience, showing peaceful resistance's influence, regardless of the longevity of its effect. Although peaceful resistance may not always have its intended effect, it is one of the most effective ways to advance a free society in the interest of justice and fair treatment for all of its
For example, after the 1765 Stamp Act, Americans throughout the country mobilized and boycotted the usage of stamps on printed documents. It was the colonists' first organized resistance movement, though some colonists - such as Benjamin Franklin - had agitated for independence from Britain a decade earlier. Consequently, civil disobedience drew the colonists together and fortified them, instilling within them a sense of patriotism and an idea of justice. The Boston Tea Party further galvanized colonists, especially when the acting English government, as retribution, implemented the Intolerable Acts. The act of resistance resulted in a pushback that ironically helped strengthen the opposition and their belief in justice. Though the peaceful resistance of the Patriots eventually translated into the War for Independence, a physical war would never have occurred had protests and boycotts not happened when laws they considered unfair were laid down, and without that war - and indirectly, resistance to existing laws - there would be no United States to speak of …show more content…
With the recent executive ban on Muslims from seven Middle Eastern and African countries, protests have broken out throughout the country, including people standing in front of the White House to disrupt daily business or the recent "No Ban, No Wall" protest that occurred Saturday in San Francisco. Ultimately, the ban is still being contested; although a federal judge struck it down a few days ago, the Justice Department issued an appeal Saturday to overturn the decision. Although there is no guarantee that these protests will produce their desired effect, the permanent removal of the ban, the federal judge's ruling is a testimony to the effect peaceful resistance has in convincing the judiciary and legislature - even if the executive is unconvinced - that there is a problem to be fixed. The situation bears similarity to the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling in that, although resistance came from many Americans, not specifically from the executive, the ruling was influenced by civil rights movements utilizing civil disobedience, showing peaceful resistance's influence, regardless of the longevity of its effect. Although peaceful resistance may not always have its intended effect, it is one of the most effective ways to advance a free society in the interest of justice and fair treatment for all of its