To understand the effects of civil disobedience, one must fully comprehend its meaning. It's important that you’re aware of the significant difference between the concept in question and simple, unadulterated lawlessness. By definition, civil disobedience is the refusal to obey certain laws for the purpose of influencing government policy by nonviolent techniques such as boycotting. It’s called “lawlessness” when you deliberately break a law for the sake of breaking it and undermining its rules. Once this confusion is cleared, it becomes evident that the purpose behind civil disobedience is necessary for the structure of our nation. As Henry Thoreau says in Civil Disobedience, “The government is best which governs least.” It’s important for
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If we blindly followed unjust laws without protest, then how could we hope to improve our own systems and rise up as a nation? It falls on the people to make sure that corruption is addressed. Just like Rockefeller said, “… government is the servant of the people and not their master.” Evidently, people seem to forget that the government is meant to serve the nation and not the other way around. However, we’re often awoken from our helpless stupors when an individual acts and reminds us of where we’re meant to stand. One such individual is the famous Rosa Parks. Her act of defiance on December 1, 1955 sparked a chain of events that expanded further than just boycotting buses in Montgomery. It was marked the first nonviolent protest, instantly inspiring many of the black Americans that were living suppressed lives at that time to “fight back,” without the violence that the phrase implies. Most historians credit Rosa Parks with beginning the civil rights movement in the U.S., which comes to show just how much a single act of civil disobedience for the purpose of bringing about change can inspire many of those who witness …show more content…
While harmful protests tend to quickly turn people against those involved and what they stand for, the lack of violence in civil disobedience brings on a lot of positive press, especially if the people involved accept the legal consequences to their actions. Looking at the case of the Greensboro sit-ins in February 1, 1960, the four black students that refused to move from the lunch counter until they were given service attracted heavy amounts of television coverage that same day. Their nonviolent approach shocked millions and led the attention of many people to the unjust laws of segregation. Those who didn’t support them had little ammunition to fire back with since they hadn’t actually done anything illegal. As a result, many non-African-Americans were inspired to join the side of Martin Luther King Jr. Four days after the famous event, 300 more students were reported participating in sit-ins at local diners and other businesses; a month later, people in over 55 cities had joined in on the protest, showing just how many people were witnesses to this
If we blindly followed unjust laws without protest, then how could we hope to improve our own systems and rise up as a nation? It falls on the people to make sure that corruption is addressed. Just like Rockefeller said, “… government is the servant of the people and not their master.” Evidently, people seem to forget that the government is meant to serve the nation and not the other way around. However, we’re often awoken from our helpless stupors when an individual acts and reminds us of where we’re meant to stand. One such individual is the famous Rosa Parks. Her act of defiance on December 1, 1955 sparked a chain of events that expanded further than just boycotting buses in Montgomery. It was marked the first nonviolent protest, instantly inspiring many of the black Americans that were living suppressed lives at that time to “fight back,” without the violence that the phrase implies. Most historians credit Rosa Parks with beginning the civil rights movement in the U.S., which comes to show just how much a single act of civil disobedience for the purpose of bringing about change can inspire many of those who witness …show more content…
While harmful protests tend to quickly turn people against those involved and what they stand for, the lack of violence in civil disobedience brings on a lot of positive press, especially if the people involved accept the legal consequences to their actions. Looking at the case of the Greensboro sit-ins in February 1, 1960, the four black students that refused to move from the lunch counter until they were given service attracted heavy amounts of television coverage that same day. Their nonviolent approach shocked millions and led the attention of many people to the unjust laws of segregation. Those who didn’t support them had little ammunition to fire back with since they hadn’t actually done anything illegal. As a result, many non-African-Americans were inspired to join the side of Martin Luther King Jr. Four days after the famous event, 300 more students were reported participating in sit-ins at local diners and other businesses; a month later, people in over 55 cities had joined in on the protest, showing just how many people were witnesses to this