Peaceful resistance to laws that are unjust is essential to a free and functioning democracy. The Constitution of the United States gives its people the right to stand against an unfair government. Imagine if Martin Luther King Jr. had never marched to end oppression and segregation. Imagine if Rosa Parks had never stood up for her beliefs by sitting down. Imagine if Womens' Rights groups had never petitioned congress or stood in from of the White House demanding suffrage.
We stand as the country that we are today because of peaceful protests throughout our history. We are the masters of sit-ins and hunger strikes and "jail no bail."
The only time peaceful resistance is bad for a society is when it is not peaceful anymore. When demonstrations turn to riots or marches turn to lootings, then a lot of the weight and significance of the protest is lost, in my opinion. One of the greatest parts of America is the ability to stand before your country with a sign or a group and protest what you do not like.
I saw a protest while I was in …show more content…
First, that people have certain rights that cannot and should not be taken away, and second that if they are taken away, people are allowed to take them back. The best way to do this is through peaceful protest because it is calm, meditated, calculated, and precise. Sometimes silence speaks louder than the shrillest screams, so never mistake a silent people for that of a weak or complacent one. Breaking the law through peaceful protest shows willpower, determination, and resolution to finish the job. Sometimes laws need to be broken because those laws need to change. Segregation, for example, needed to change, so just by sitting in the "wrong" section of the bus, Rosa Parks' name will be in our textbooks forever. The NSA spying on its own citizens, for example, needed to change as well. So Edward Snowden leaking classified documents to The Guardian for publication was important and
We stand as the country that we are today because of peaceful protests throughout our history. We are the masters of sit-ins and hunger strikes and "jail no bail."
The only time peaceful resistance is bad for a society is when it is not peaceful anymore. When demonstrations turn to riots or marches turn to lootings, then a lot of the weight and significance of the protest is lost, in my opinion. One of the greatest parts of America is the ability to stand before your country with a sign or a group and protest what you do not like.
I saw a protest while I was in …show more content…
First, that people have certain rights that cannot and should not be taken away, and second that if they are taken away, people are allowed to take them back. The best way to do this is through peaceful protest because it is calm, meditated, calculated, and precise. Sometimes silence speaks louder than the shrillest screams, so never mistake a silent people for that of a weak or complacent one. Breaking the law through peaceful protest shows willpower, determination, and resolution to finish the job. Sometimes laws need to be broken because those laws need to change. Segregation, for example, needed to change, so just by sitting in the "wrong" section of the bus, Rosa Parks' name will be in our textbooks forever. The NSA spying on its own citizens, for example, needed to change as well. So Edward Snowden leaking classified documents to The Guardian for publication was important and