Civil Disobedience Essay

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Civil Disobedience in Society People are different. Thus, people have different beliefs, value systems and morals. Furthermore, many people have very specific beliefs regarding certain issues in society. They are willing to risk punishment by standing up for those beliefs by drawing public awareness to issues. In doing so, those folks may be described as being civilly disobedient. Civil Disobedience is the refusal to obey a law or follow a policy believed to be unjust. (1) and is typically done in a non-violent way. Many have successfully practiced civil disobedience. Henry David Thoreau, Rosa Parks, and Martin Luther King, Jr., all took a stand for what they felt were unjust laws. Many social reforms we take for granted were made by those practicing civil disobedience. There are also many examples of civil disobedience in today’s society. Pro-life protesters and religious group protesters, are all examples of people practicing civil disobedience. “Any fool can make a rule, and any fool will mind it.” (2) This quote was by Henry David Thoreau. It has been said Thoreau was possibly the first American to defend his beliefs in a civilly disobedient way. In 1846, Thoreau refused to pay a poll tax because of his disbelief in the Mexican War and slavery. In doing so, he spent the night in jail. Against his wishes, he was released the next day when a relative paid the taxes. He was successful in opening the eyes of others by taking a stand against a law. The impact of the experience was a positive one in that Thoreau went on to become an American author, poet, and philosopher. He is possibly best known for his essay the subject, Civil Disobedience. Rosa Parks has been deemed “the first lady of civil rights” and the mother of the freedom movement” (3) by the U.S. Congress. Parks’ refusal on December 1, 1955 to relinquish her seat on a bus to a
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