Peaceful Protest During The French Revolution

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Long before the foundation of the United States of America, peaceful resistance has been a means to change the laws and social constructs of free societies. In and of itself, passive resistance and protests allow citizens to express their opinions in a non-violent manner without disturbing the desired peace which both governments and citizens strive for. However, when peaceful protests transform into violent riots, causing chaos to run rampant among the masses, the government must intervene to bring back order. An example of peaceful resistance to laws would be the American colonists back in the 17th century before the revolution from Great Britain. Not only did the colonists write letters to King George the III and the British Parliament, begging …show more content…
Order was destroyed and countless innocent lives were ended by soldiers and rebels alike, until Napoleon Bonaparte became the emperor, therefore negatively affecting the freedom of the people since they were unable to rule themselves unlike their American counterparts overseas. Had the French people been capable of ruling themselves, their revolution would have reaped positive benefits in the end.

However, in debatably the best and one of the most popular examples of a peaceful protest not turning violent and actually succeeding is that of Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and his quest for equal rights. Even though they met opposition and persecution for their demonstrations, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and his follower’s dedication to non-violence eventually brought around positive change in the form of the fourteenth amendment. They were beaten, jailed, and in extreme cases, murdered, but nevertheless they refused to fight back, making sure resistance remained

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