Civil Disobedience Examples

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The idea of civil disobedience has been present for a long time, dating back to Thoreau and Thomas Jefferson. One of the most significant and impactful examples of civil disobedience in America was Martin Luther King Jr., who peacefully protested for his rights and was taken to jail, where he continued to write letters expressing his thoughts. Peaceful resistance to laws can positively impact a free society since it is an example of the whole meaning of a free society. Americans have always viewed freedom as an environment in which one "may resist evil and do what is right, noble, and good without fear of reprisal". Said resistance could be standing up for the rights of African-Americans with peaceful protests, refusing to move from a seat on a bus, or refusing to pay taxes for a war one does not believe in. Civil disobedience is a symbolic violation of the law and is not the rejection of the whole system or government. In a lot of situations this can lead to an increase awareness of an event or situation, inspiration of others, or the modifying of a law that benefits a minority or a specific group of citizens. An example …show more content…
Typically one is protesting or breaking a law because they believe the law in some way unjustly restricts the freedom of citizens in what is believed to be an immoral way. Also not only is this protesting non-violent it typically does not go against the rights of other individuals which is a key factor in the ideas of a free society. In fact it follows all the guidelines of what a free society is:"a society where people shall have the right to exercise unlimited freedom in their own lives, freedom to live in whatever manner they choose, freedom to pursue their own goals, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal rights of others to do the

Civil Disobedience Examples

obligated to do so.” I believe that civil disobedience not only positively impacts a free society, but it also helps to keep it honest and working for the people. This is shown through the civil disobedience of Gandhi, Harriet Tubman, and most recently Bree Newsome. Mahatma Gandhi was a anti-war activist who spent his life fighting racial segregation and the rule of the British over India. He is possibly one of the greatest examples of the impact that civil disobedience can have on a society. Gandhi led…

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Examples Of Civil Disobedience

From slave revolts, to LGBT riots, to mass sit-ins, disobedience is the engine of progressive social change. If there is no rebellion or disobedience, what will prompt people to change injustices? Through rebellion and disobedience, people bring the issues and injustices that they are trying to change out into the light for everyone to see. As Wilde points out, history clearly shows that it has been disobedience, rebellion, and fight, which have driven progress over the millennia. I believe that…

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Civil Disobedience Essay Examples

Civil Disobedience Civil disobedience can be a touchy subject for some, but it is a topic that needs to be addressed, not ignored. This country was founded on the knowledge that laws, if declared unjust by the people, could be protested and with the gain of enough support, overthrown. The Founding Fathers saw that on certain things and at certain times, a government may become corrupted, unconnected with its people, or just simply stuck in their ways. There are many examples of all of these circumstances…

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Examples Of Transcendentalism In The Civil Disobedience

The Civil Disobedience is a written essay that is the foundation of transcendentalism. It heavily emphasizes the importance of self-reliance and individuality of people. Thoreau first argues that the government isn't doing its job as it supposed to. Instead, it abuses its power and makes unfair laws that the people must follow. Also, he realizes the acts of warfare and slavery happen in America; therefore, he convinces the people should follow what they believe in. Thoreau insists that people can…

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Civil Disobedience Essay example

pay taxes, the objection to cast a vote, and the rejection of personal property are all declarations of disapproval directed to an unjust government. The people of any unfair system are obligated to tailor their government through relentless civil disobedience or rebellion. For the sake of the governed, immediate action, or lack of action, must be taken when a government deviates from its course. It is not a man’s duty to eliminate any wrong, but he must not participate in any wrongdoing. With such…

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Examples Of Civil Disobedience In Antigone

bent on her beliefs as she defies the law time and time again. Her civil disobedience is the main focus of the play, pronouncing just how much she is willing to fight for her rights. Sophocles explores the impacts of what an uprising means to monarchies and what it symbolizes to the people who are downtrodden and silenced in the name of governmental reason. So how does Antigone practice civil disobedience? To start, civil disobedience is a public refusal to obey the law; it is nonviolent, punishment…

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Examples Of Civil Disobedience In Antigone

The concept of civil disobedience has been around since the beginning of organized government. As long as people have had a law to disobey, they have done so. Most often, these people do not break the law just because they wish to cause trouble, but because they see the law as corrupt or immoral. Sophocles writes about such a person in his play Antigone, where the titular heroine breaks a law in order to bury her deceased brother. Since civil disobedience is not a purely fictional event, Antigone’s…

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Examples Of Civil Disobedience In Selma

What is civil disobedience? Civil disobedience is the denial to abide by certain laws of the government without resorting to violence. On March 12, 1938, Indian leader, Mohandas Gandhi, started the act of civil disobedience. There has been plenty of civil disobedience acts around the world, even until this day. One of the biggest civil disobedience acts was the civil rights movement in Selma. Activist Martin Luther King, avoided violence and used a strong, power of words and civil disobedience to achieve…

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Civil Disobedience: A Breach Of Law

Background Since Thoreau introduced the term ‘civil disobedience’, it has been the guideline of many resistance movements and an important mechanism for social change (Brownlee, Kimberley 2013). According to John Rawls, ‘civil disobedience is a public, non-violent and conscientious breach of law…’ (Rawls 1971). But this definition raises many questions. Given that ‘civil disobedience’ is defined as ‘a breach of law’, how can we tell acts of civil disobedience from ‘ordinary’ illegal acts, if not impossible…

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Civil Disobedience

To fully understand the meaning of civil disobedience first we would have to say that the meaning of civil disobedience is the denial to obey certain laws or pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest. The concept of civil disobedience evolved from the idea that there are laws of the state that don't secure citizens. This concept evolved over a long period of time and was grasped from different types of cultures. The act of civil disobedience was most effective in the twentieth…

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