Peaceful resistance positively affects our society, despite the negative actions that may be unjustly inflicted on those participating in civil disobedience. Peaceful resistance against a law does not harm another individual or infringe on another's rights. According to Henry David Thoreau, "[a]ll men recognize the right to revolution... the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable," a statement that outlines when it is acceptable to break the law peaceably. Acts of civil disobedience are intended to draw attention to an issue and generate a political or social conversation in order to eventually bring justice to the protester in question, such as Rosa Parks' decision to remain in the "whites only" section of a Montgomery bus in 1955.
While peaceful resistance does not always have its desired affect or bring about the change desired, many peaceful movements have been able to succeed, perhaps not on the legislative level, but on the moral battleground. During the Civil Rights Movement, the violent actions of its detractors were evidence of the necessity of change to secure the rights of African American citizens. The Little Rock Nine proved to the nation how simple, peaceful actions can bring about major change when the …show more content…
Society learns to progress when individuals have the courage to stand up for injustice and prove that legislation needs to be reformed or done away with. The nature of civil disobedience allows for laws to be broken without infringing on the rights of others, which is a healthier alternative to violent protest and an opportunity to practice free speech. While the written law may be written with good intentions, it is necessary for citizens to expose the negative and oppressive effects that it may have on others that violate their constitutional
While peaceful resistance does not always have its desired affect or bring about the change desired, many peaceful movements have been able to succeed, perhaps not on the legislative level, but on the moral battleground. During the Civil Rights Movement, the violent actions of its detractors were evidence of the necessity of change to secure the rights of African American citizens. The Little Rock Nine proved to the nation how simple, peaceful actions can bring about major change when the …show more content…
Society learns to progress when individuals have the courage to stand up for injustice and prove that legislation needs to be reformed or done away with. The nature of civil disobedience allows for laws to be broken without infringing on the rights of others, which is a healthier alternative to violent protest and an opportunity to practice free speech. While the written law may be written with good intentions, it is necessary for citizens to expose the negative and oppressive effects that it may have on others that violate their constitutional