Social progress is the increasing of a society's ability to meet basic human needs. It establishes a foundation so people can have have better lives. In order to obtain social progress, there needs to be not just disobedience, but civil disobedience. According to Irish author Oscar Wilde, “disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made, through disobedience and through rebellion.” This statement is valid because if no one ever went against what society viewed as normal then there would not be any change and the society wouldn’t be able to reevaluate their expectations. Civil disobedience reveals to the general public the frustrations of the affected
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Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian activist led the Indian independence movement against the British rule. He employed nonviolence disobedience to create change. He inspired many after him such as Martin Luther King Jr. MLK’s role in speaking for civil rights through his non violence tactics and civil disobedience influenced by his Christian beliefs. He helped organize the March on Washington where tons of people gathered to advocate for civil and economic rights of African Americans. Here MLK gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech which called to end racism and inspired millions. This march led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As a result there was minimal racial segregation and more equality. Another influential person of that time was Rosa Park who refused to move when a white man wanted to take her seat. Her actions led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a campaign against racial segregation a few days after her arrest.Afterwards, the Supreme Court case, Browder v. Gayle, declared segregated buses to be unconstitutional. This act of disobedience sparked social changes and altered the way people saw racial segregation. Park’s actions and the actions of other civil rights advocates prompted societies to put an end to Jim Crow laws, thus improving the quality of life. , thus improve the quality of …show more content…
While civil disobedience promotes social progress, violent tactics do not have as positive results. Oftentimes, violence elicits a negative reaction from the public and makes it difficult for the public to accept a group’s view on a matter. One example of this would be the Baltimore riots, a series of violent protests in 2015 that were focused on the police brutality and problematic arrest and death of Freddie Gray. Gray was arrested for suspicious behavior and died from spinal injuries. At first the protests were peaceful, but they quickly escalated into riots from which Baltimore sustained heavy damage. There was no excuse for the violent riots that broke out in the streets of Baltimore. "When individuals get crowbars and start opening doors to loot, they're not protesting," Obama said in response to a query at a White House news conference. "They're not making a statement. They are stealing. When they burn down a building they are committing arson. And they are destroying and undermining businesses and opportunities in their own communities." Civil disobedience needs to be about breaking unjust laws to bring about change; otherwise it is no different from normal criminal
Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian activist led the Indian independence movement against the British rule. He employed nonviolence disobedience to create change. He inspired many after him such as Martin Luther King Jr. MLK’s role in speaking for civil rights through his non violence tactics and civil disobedience influenced by his Christian beliefs. He helped organize the March on Washington where tons of people gathered to advocate for civil and economic rights of African Americans. Here MLK gave his famous “I Have A Dream” speech which called to end racism and inspired millions. This march led to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. As a result there was minimal racial segregation and more equality. Another influential person of that time was Rosa Park who refused to move when a white man wanted to take her seat. Her actions led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a campaign against racial segregation a few days after her arrest.Afterwards, the Supreme Court case, Browder v. Gayle, declared segregated buses to be unconstitutional. This act of disobedience sparked social changes and altered the way people saw racial segregation. Park’s actions and the actions of other civil rights advocates prompted societies to put an end to Jim Crow laws, thus improving the quality of life. , thus improve the quality of …show more content…
While civil disobedience promotes social progress, violent tactics do not have as positive results. Oftentimes, violence elicits a negative reaction from the public and makes it difficult for the public to accept a group’s view on a matter. One example of this would be the Baltimore riots, a series of violent protests in 2015 that were focused on the police brutality and problematic arrest and death of Freddie Gray. Gray was arrested for suspicious behavior and died from spinal injuries. At first the protests were peaceful, but they quickly escalated into riots from which Baltimore sustained heavy damage. There was no excuse for the violent riots that broke out in the streets of Baltimore. "When individuals get crowbars and start opening doors to loot, they're not protesting," Obama said in response to a query at a White House news conference. "They're not making a statement. They are stealing. When they burn down a building they are committing arson. And they are destroying and undermining businesses and opportunities in their own communities." Civil disobedience needs to be about breaking unjust laws to bring about change; otherwise it is no different from normal criminal