Peaceful Resistance In The United States

Throughout the history of the United States, people have been rebelling against authority. The experiment that started in 1776 has continuously changed over the past 240 years and a large part of that is due to peaceful resistance against laws and policies, for both good and bad. Peaceful resistance itself doesn’t inherently positively or negatively impact free society, rather, it is how it is used that ultimately determines its effect. Peaceful resistance has been used to create change both negatively and positively, however, we mostly hear about it being positive. Many people believe that peaceful protest is better than the alternative; an all out violent riot. An example of this is the Black Lives Matter movement that is currently …show more content…
Peaceful resistance, on the other hand, accomplishes more with less human cost. The prime example of this is during the Civil Rights movement in America. Lead by Pastor Martin Luther King Jr., the movement sought to eliminate the prejudice against African Americans through civil disobedience. They used methods like sit ins and marches to show their dissatisfaction, but the paradigm of this movement was Letter from Birmingham Jail written by Dr. King. In it, he writes, “we see the need for nonviolent gadflies to create the kind of tension in society that will help men rise from the dark depths of prejudice and racism to the majestic heights of understanding and brotherhood.” In his eyes, nonviolent, peaceful resistance is the best way to raise awareness in the public on an issue and hopefully put enough pressure on the government to change its policies. This method has proven to be extremely effective in history. Mahatma …show more content…
Many people don’t realize that because the term generally has a positive connotation, but it is true. A perfect example of this is the controversial topic of Edward Snowden who leaked thousands of classified government documents and currently has asylum in Russia. According to Jeffrey Toobin, “Some... are hailing [Snowden] as a hero... he is rather, a grandiose narcissist.” Snowden leaked information about the NSA for everyone to see, including our terrorist enemies like ISIS. The fact that Snowden sought asylum in China and then Russia basically guarantees that two of our most powerful political opponents now have information on our government. This use of peaceful resistance negatively impacted society because it exposed the ways the government used to protect the general public from foreign and domestic terrorism, thus putting them in more danger.
There are many people believe that peaceful resistance just isn’t a very effect way to bring change. This can be true; one is more likely to listen to somebody with a gun than with a sign. Malcolm X always said there was a choice between bullets and ballots. He believed that if his opposition was being violent toward him, he had to be violent back, famously saying, “Revolution is bloody, revolution is hostile... revolution overturns and destroys everything that gets in its way.” This mode of resistance is often more effective than peaceful protest

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