In free societies, one way in which people can demonstrate their thoughts and concerns to the government is through peaceful protest. Throughout history this has been a way to make changes to unjust laws in ways that positively impact a free society.
In our United States history, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an active civil rights leader who preached reform via peaceful protest. As he wrote in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” This signifies that it is not only important to resist unjust laws, it is necessary. Civil disobedience, which means breaking a law and accepting the consequences knowingly, is a positive way to advocate for change. King was living in an era of extreme racism and segregation. By protesting these inequalities and pointing out the horrible acts that were being committed, specifically in Birmingham, King paved the way for reform to take place and for unjust …show more content…
In the late 1980s, Czechoslovakia went through what was popularly called the Velvet Revolution. It was given this name because of the nonviolence of the movement. Vaclav Havel led this effort to get rid of the Communist regime and replace it with a free democracy. “I really do inhabit a system in which words are capable of shaking the entire structure of government, where words can prove mightier than ten military divisions.” Havel’s words speak to the power that non-violent revolutions can have, and after 75% of the population showed up to protest, the Communist Party ceded its power, leading to the Czech Parliament appointing Vaclav Havel to be the president of Czechoslovakia. While not originally a free society, through peaceful protest, Czechoslovakia gained the form of government its people thought would be best, exemplifying the power the people can have to make the changes they see fit in their
In our United States history, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was an active civil rights leader who preached reform via peaceful protest. As he wrote in “Letter from a Birmingham Jail,” “One has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.” This signifies that it is not only important to resist unjust laws, it is necessary. Civil disobedience, which means breaking a law and accepting the consequences knowingly, is a positive way to advocate for change. King was living in an era of extreme racism and segregation. By protesting these inequalities and pointing out the horrible acts that were being committed, specifically in Birmingham, King paved the way for reform to take place and for unjust …show more content…
In the late 1980s, Czechoslovakia went through what was popularly called the Velvet Revolution. It was given this name because of the nonviolence of the movement. Vaclav Havel led this effort to get rid of the Communist regime and replace it with a free democracy. “I really do inhabit a system in which words are capable of shaking the entire structure of government, where words can prove mightier than ten military divisions.” Havel’s words speak to the power that non-violent revolutions can have, and after 75% of the population showed up to protest, the Communist Party ceded its power, leading to the Czech Parliament appointing Vaclav Havel to be the president of Czechoslovakia. While not originally a free society, through peaceful protest, Czechoslovakia gained the form of government its people thought would be best, exemplifying the power the people can have to make the changes they see fit in their