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David Thoreau And The Importance Of Civil Disobedience

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Some might call civil disobedience patriotic but according to the definition given when it’s just a form of breaking the law. The normal act of civil disobedience we are accustomed to usually takes place in the form of peaceful protest. “if one were to judge these men wholly by the effects of their actions and not partly by their intentions, they would deserve to be classed and punished with those mischievous persons who put obstructions on the railroads.” -David Thoreau. Civil disobedience is situational and can not be judged without looking at the cause of conflict Thoreau raises the viewpoint that people have when looking at civil disobedience. Humans look for the good in people so it seems natural to look for the good in people's actions. The civil rights movement of the 1960’s, though was right in reason and just in cause was in fact civil disobedience. Looking at the intent of the disobedience can and often times does, justify the action. Thoreau does not discount the importance of civil disobedience.“Let every man …show more content…

In the early 1900s’ america was under the threat of multi-factionism. Forty years after the civil war, perhaps the most pronounced form of civil disobedience, Woodrow Wilson gave a speech on unity. “Let every man remember that to violate the law is to trample on the blood of his father, and to tear the charter of his own and his children’s liberty.”-Woodrow Wilson. N order to keep a peaceful environment there should be not dishonoring the law of the land. This implied that there should also be not disobeying the law. Wilson was at the time dealing with the beginning of the first world war, which can help with the reason he called for reduced demonstrations. He word were not discouraging freedom of speech they were telling that in times of social conflict a country must pull together. Civil disobedience is fracturing of a the social norm and has been shown to move a society forward in it social

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