Bill of Rights Institute Essay
Throughout history, civil disobedience has been used to oppose laws that are considered unjust. Some of our nation’s laws have been rewritten and abolished due to the use of peaceful resistance. Most notably during the Civil Rights movement, where civil disobedience was a fundamental aspect of almost every protest (Civil Rights Movement). Martin Luther King Jr., a well known civil rights activist from the civil rights movement, used non-violent protesting as a way to force confrontation of an issue (Civil Rights Movement). King Jr. said it best in his Birmingham jail cell, after being arrested for peacefully resisting, “ Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.” (King, Martin Luther, Jr.). In our country, peaceful resistance to laws has worked to promote change and positively impact a free society.
Our nation has not always met the promises of the preamble of the …show more content…
However, in the wake of this past election and controversial executive orders President Trump has set forth, peaceful resistance has been observed all over the country. One example of peaceful resistance is in regards to President Trump issuing an executive order in relation to the Dakota and Keystone XL Pipelines, which called for the U.S. State Department to “take all actions necessary and appropriate to facilitate its expeditious review.”(Blackmon). Many peaceful protesters were arrested on the sites of the pipelines after they refused to leave the premises (Eilperin). Overall, peaceful resistance to laws has had a positive impact in repealing unjust laws and promoting individual liberty. Civil disobedience to laws that are unjust is what has sculpted America into the free society it is
Throughout history, civil disobedience has been used to oppose laws that are considered unjust. Some of our nation’s laws have been rewritten and abolished due to the use of peaceful resistance. Most notably during the Civil Rights movement, where civil disobedience was a fundamental aspect of almost every protest (Civil Rights Movement). Martin Luther King Jr., a well known civil rights activist from the civil rights movement, used non-violent protesting as a way to force confrontation of an issue (Civil Rights Movement). King Jr. said it best in his Birmingham jail cell, after being arrested for peacefully resisting, “ Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and foster such a tension that a community which has constantly refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored.” (King, Martin Luther, Jr.). In our country, peaceful resistance to laws has worked to promote change and positively impact a free society.
Our nation has not always met the promises of the preamble of the …show more content…
However, in the wake of this past election and controversial executive orders President Trump has set forth, peaceful resistance has been observed all over the country. One example of peaceful resistance is in regards to President Trump issuing an executive order in relation to the Dakota and Keystone XL Pipelines, which called for the U.S. State Department to “take all actions necessary and appropriate to facilitate its expeditious review.”(Blackmon). Many peaceful protesters were arrested on the sites of the pipelines after they refused to leave the premises (Eilperin). Overall, peaceful resistance to laws has had a positive impact in repealing unjust laws and promoting individual liberty. Civil disobedience to laws that are unjust is what has sculpted America into the free society it is