Peaceful resistance to laws, given that it's done at an appropriate and opportune setting, is absolutely beneficial in the long run to a nation, as it's such disobedience that keeps a free society exactly that. Examples specifically in the US range from the beginning stages of the American Revolution, to the struggles of civil rights advocates, to the actions of one Edward Snowden in exposing the government's surveillance to the people; all of these cases represent how, employed correctly, peaceful protest can spur necessary action.
In the case of the American Revolution, the necessary action was not peaceful. The Declaration of Independence and numerous actions from the former colonists in rejecting the intolerable and unfair rule of England forced the people to rebellion against the King, and a war followed. When the dust settled after independence was gained, it was the aforementioned dedication to peace by the founding fathers (until conflict was absolutely unavoidable) that served as the framework for the new nation, as seen in the Revolution of 1800, which set a precedent in the US of calm, rather than bloody, transfers of power. In other words, while immediately leading to war, the initially peaceful requests for fairness, then …show more content…
While zealots such as Malcolm X, who turned to violence, existed, their contributions are historically dwarfed by the peaceful protests that Rev. King led. From the iconic photo of a protester getting attacked by a police dog and not resisting, to the famed March on Washington, it was the willingness of King's followers to turn the other cheek that swung public opinion in their favor and led to the US government towards racial equality. The civil rights movement was the epitome of civil disobedience working towards a noble social
In the case of the American Revolution, the necessary action was not peaceful. The Declaration of Independence and numerous actions from the former colonists in rejecting the intolerable and unfair rule of England forced the people to rebellion against the King, and a war followed. When the dust settled after independence was gained, it was the aforementioned dedication to peace by the founding fathers (until conflict was absolutely unavoidable) that served as the framework for the new nation, as seen in the Revolution of 1800, which set a precedent in the US of calm, rather than bloody, transfers of power. In other words, while immediately leading to war, the initially peaceful requests for fairness, then …show more content…
While zealots such as Malcolm X, who turned to violence, existed, their contributions are historically dwarfed by the peaceful protests that Rev. King led. From the iconic photo of a protester getting attacked by a police dog and not resisting, to the famed March on Washington, it was the willingness of King's followers to turn the other cheek that swung public opinion in their favor and led to the US government towards racial equality. The civil rights movement was the epitome of civil disobedience working towards a noble social