Henry David Thoreau's On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience

I believe that peaceful resistance to laws is a positive impact on a free society. America was founded on the principles of freedom of speech and the ability to speak out against injustice. While peaceful resistance If civil disobedience was a negative thing heroes such as rosa parks or Martin Luther KIng would have never accomplished there goals. The act of peaceful resistance not only enforces the right to protest but it also helps to kickstart change without the need for violence. One should note that it takes much more courage and strength of character to peacefully protest than resort to more crude methods. In Henry David Thoreau's " On the Duty of Civil Disobediance" he claims that when a person conscience collides with the law you mush …show more content…
There distress was so great that they would willing go against the government, sacrifice there own personal comfort,to face not only uncertain danger, but even run the risk of going to prison. There love of justice and truth drove them unflinchingly forward into action. Many, but not all, the people that commit civil Disobediance in the last two decades have been trained to utilize the Gamdhian nonviolence tactics and philosophy when confronted. One of the biggest principles of this is Non Cooporation and was used commonly in the 20th Century. Non Cooporation including things such as forcing ones body to go limp, refusing to go to court, fasting, and blatant refusal to give away information upon being booked. Gandhi, who was said to believe profusely in non violent civil Disobediance claimed that "Non-Cooporation with evil is as much a duty as Cooporation with good." One should make not that Non Cooporation is in no one intended to be taken as a hostile act against police officers,jail guards,or anyone else. An understood basis of non violent disobedianceis that the protest draws power from open confrontation and non-Cooporation I.e civil