Civil Disobedience In The United States

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Among the multitude of essential components that create the foundation for the success of the United States, a primary piece is the ability to protest, resist, and criticize the government without fear of consequence. This can be referred to as Civil Disobedience, or peacefully protesting against what one would assume to be unjust laws. Historically, the use of Civil Disobedience has, in many instances, fundamentally altered the direction of this nation. Perhaps the most famous use of this method would be the Civil Rights movement, initiating in 1955 with Rosa Parks, and being built upon by Martin Luther King Jr. during the 60's. Despite the many cases where protesters were beaten by police, such as during the Selma to Montgomery march, African-American …show more content…
Civil Disobedience, in an essence, can be an effective tool for change because it allows protesters to voice their disagreements without the use of violence. With peaceful protesting, no bystanders are injured, no property is damaged, and no chaos ensues unless it is perpetrated by the opposing force. The opposite utilization of Civil Disobedience is known as 'Rioting', which generally generates more chaos and frustration without any real positive alterations occurring. The negativity caused by rioting is highly prevalent even in today's society. Despite the questionable evidence being presented by eyewitnesses during the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown, violent protesting quickly materialized which destroyed vehicles, small businesses, and private property, with the only result being an increase in racial division in our nation. People find it difficult to side with a group that exposes their anger through the use of insinuating destruction upon a city which had no relevance during the