In my opinion, civil disobedience may be viewed as part good and also part bad. The certain view of this could possibly be altered by a racial or also by a cultural background, and it might even be based off of rural or urban life. Some people may think of it as being brave for standing up against all others and believing in him or herself. Although, some others might disagree because when they might be peacefully protesting and or disobeying the law, it will always have consequences in the long run. Which can be closely related to Isaac Newtons Three laws of motion which are; "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction" - Isaac Newton.
Peaceful Resistance Does peaceful resistance to laws positively or negatively impact a free society? This is a question asked among all Americans since the beginning of the American Revolution. The answer to what seems to be a question with no answer is yes. Peaceful resistance is noted as a type of civil disobedience, which is the refusal to comply with certain laws as a peaceful form of protest. Whether at home, in school, or in public, citizens of the United States commit this type of disobedience.
Civil Disobedience is an important moral responsibility of a citizen, however it should not get to the level of illegal activity under any circumstances, because great reform can be brought peacefully not violently. In the title named "On Civil Disobedience" by Mohandas K. Ghandi once said: “No country has ever become or will ever become, happy though victory in war”(Mohandas K. Gandhi , 148). Even that long ago, when war was at high, and people embraced it, he knew that the only thing war brought was death, and depression among civilians. This method of civil disobedience has only resulted into more wars, and no real solutions. The most efficient way to the be civilly disobedient is to be peaceful, but willing to stand up for your cause.
John Snowden travelled to Hong Kong and released secrets that the NSA had been holding from the American public. Ranging from details that concern phone sweeps and the NSA's ability to do so to the techniques used by NSA hackers, Snowden revealed information that some say violates the Constitution. When this man traveled to a different continent to reveal this information, he had already accepted the fate of what would happen. This is a very useful example when explaining civil disobedience. Snowden knew that he would have to face the consequences due to his actions but that did not stop him from doing what was right for himself and his country.
Civil Disobedience Does peaceful resistance to laws positively or negatively impact a free society? Many people in today’s world question this; however, the United States wouldn’t be what it is now if people didn’t honorably protest. Respectable rallying has a positive effect on a free society because without it, there wouldn’t be anything free about society. It would be unheard of to even write an essay on such a controversial topic without someone first fighting for the right to speak one’s mind. Peaceful resistance has many accounts of having a positive effect on society.
Civil disobedience is a key component to free society in and of itself. As a primary example, America herself was born from it; The American Revolution began with civil disobedience. If the colonists did not rebel, if they did not fight for their freedoms- albeit violently further on- where would we be today? Where would we be if the Boston Tea Party never happened, if the American people never disobeyed?
Civil disobediences are nonviolent actions or protests that violates the law. People will normally do this when they believe that the government is unjust in the treatment of people. The protests and nonviolent actions are reciprocal reaction to the government to showcase the citizens’ need for justice and equality. The act of civil disobedience requires a lot of patience, bravery, and pain to go against the law in hope of seeing a change. Martin Luther King Jr is well known for his demonstrations of civil disobediences.
Civil Disobedience is as controversial and varied as the other major governmental arguments of the day such as gay rights, gun control, and the like. It has the potential of being an instrument of both god and evil, and defining the line that separates the two can be difficult. Civil disobedience has it's roots away back in Greece. According to science.jrank.org, "The idea that there is a law that transcends the laws of the state is found in Socrates (c. 470–399 B.C.E.)" but there were others who had this philosophy. Mohandas Gandhi, arguably the most famous implementer of civil disobedience, and possibly the most successful deeply believed similarly.
“The price of liberty is eternal vigilance” (Wendell Phillips), and requires every citizen to act as a watchdog for their government. As demonstrated in the past, sometimes morally abhorrent legislation is passed and action is taken in opposition to the will of the people. In these instances, civil disobedience positively impacts a free society, but should be used a “last resource” (qtd. in Mirkin “Rebellion, Revolution, and the Constitution”), less one endangers the rule of law. Civil disobedience —with varying civility— has been apart of the American tradition predating the War for Independence and starting with refusal to obey the Townshend and the Intolerable Acts.
Peaceful resistance to laws positively affect a free society. Throughout history, there have been multiple cases of both violent and peaceful protests. However, the peaceful protests are the ones that tend to stick with a society and are the ones that change the society for the better. In April 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote a letter about just and unjust laws while he was in Birmingham jail for peacefully protesting. King came to Birmingham because "injustice is here".
Peaceful resistance has been around for ages. From Ghandi’s salt march to Dr. King’s sit-ins, acts of peaceful resistance represent the ordinary performing the extraordinary. It represents the masses standing up against injustice, whether that injustice affects them or not. As Martin Luther King Jr. wrote in his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Injustice in society is a common enemy.