Civil disobedience has been a part of the American culture since its very start. If it were not for the early settlers’ refusal to pay high taxes, and their demonstration of their frustration through the Boston Tea Party, the United States would not be the strong, independent nation it is today. Since our country’s establishment, civil disobedience has evolved to become an important form of protest. It is beyond the simple violation of the law--it is a demonstration of one’s principles that can positively impact the society.
The main purpose of civil disobedience is to oppose unjust laws. But some people might question: how is it ever just to break a law? Especially in the United States, laws are voted on by representatives who act on behalf …show more content…
Can’t people protest in other ways while complying with the justice system?
Henry Thoreau’s answer is no. In “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau states, “I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right.” In essence, Thoreau believes that following the law is not as important as following one’s own principles and moral judgement. If the law is inhumane, one does not have to follow it.
Moshe Feiglin, an Israeli activist, backs this same concept. In the 1990s, Israelis and Palestinians began negotiating the Oslo Accords, which could potentially concede parts of Israel to Palestine. Feiglin, who was against the concession, protested through nonviolent civil disobedience, including blocking roads and heckling the Israeli Prime minister before foreign officials. When he is tried for sedition, Feiglin asks to read an excerpt of The Little Prince, in which the little prince asks the king what he rules over. When the king answers “everything,” even the planets and stars, the little prince asks the king to order the sun to set. The king, however, responds with a question: if he ordered a general to fly like a butterfly or write a tragic drama, and the general couldn’t, who would be wrong, him or the
The main purpose of civil disobedience is to oppose unjust laws. But some people might question: how is it ever just to break a law? Especially in the United States, laws are voted on by representatives who act on behalf …show more content…
Can’t people protest in other ways while complying with the justice system?
Henry Thoreau’s answer is no. In “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau states, “I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right.” In essence, Thoreau believes that following the law is not as important as following one’s own principles and moral judgement. If the law is inhumane, one does not have to follow it.
Moshe Feiglin, an Israeli activist, backs this same concept. In the 1990s, Israelis and Palestinians began negotiating the Oslo Accords, which could potentially concede parts of Israel to Palestine. Feiglin, who was against the concession, protested through nonviolent civil disobedience, including blocking roads and heckling the Israeli Prime minister before foreign officials. When he is tried for sedition, Feiglin asks to read an excerpt of The Little Prince, in which the little prince asks the king what he rules over. When the king answers “everything,” even the planets and stars, the little prince asks the king to order the sun to set. The king, however, responds with a question: if he ordered a general to fly like a butterfly or write a tragic drama, and the general couldn’t, who would be wrong, him or the