Civil Disobedience

Indeed, any successful revolutionary movement must be an organized and driven effort that is responsive to the threat. In fact, groups must organize themselves to fight for their cause and hold true to their own values. I joined the African National Congress in my early 20’s to help direct a campaign of peaceful protests against the government’s racist policies of Apartheid (“Nelson Mandela” Bio). I firmly believe that it is necessary to organize those who are being repressed in order to combat an issue. This will allow strategic actions to occur in order to combat injustice, rather than chaos and unorganized rebellion. I found the African National Congress as my home to organize all protests and strikes against Apartheid. On May 1, 1950, …show more content…
I am primarily dedicated to civil disobedience for the simple reason that no one gets hurt, however; the government left the ANC with no choice. I could not allow our unarmed protesters to be gunned down in the streets; thus I unwillingly was forced to respond with militant actions such as guerilla warfare tactics. Moreover, you can never give up in the fight for rights. After being tried and convicted for attempting armed sabotage against the government in the Rivonia Trial, I gave a speech in which I confessed to most of my charges and told the people to keep fighting the oppressive government (“Nelson Mandela” Britannica). I chose to cry out against government tyranny, while fully aware of the consequences of a life prison sentence. Someone that truly wants to accomplish change will stare death in the face to give an outcry of …show more content…
One must ask not what the cause can do for them, but what they can do for the cause. During my stay in prison South African President P.W.Botha offered me my release from prison if I would put an end to the armed resistance against his discriminatory regime (“Nelson Mandela” Bio). In order to bring about real change, on must not budge on the hard issues for anything. I would rather have spent my life in prison than to have known I ended the one true opportunity we had at reaching equality. Nothing would get me to call of the resistance. Even while in Robben Island Prison, I petitioned the cruel injustices of malnutrition and poor conditions, as well as segregated prison life where every aspect of the inmates’ lives was divided by their race (Hooler). My prison cell had one light, no bed, and only a bathroom pail (Hoobler). These conditions were inhumane and racist. Even though I could not petition the government as a free man, I could still fight racism from within the system. This shows that a true rebel will never stop fighting for the cause, no matter their environment. To summarize, successful rebellions are characterized by organized

Show More