Free Essays on Civil Disobedience

What are the Dynamics of Civil Disobedience and Descent in the United States? The use of nonviolence runs throughout history. There have been numerous instances of people courageously and nonviolently refusing cooperation with injustice. However, the fusion of organized mass struggle and nonviolence is relatively new. It originated largely with Mohandas Gandhi in 1906 at the onset of the South African campaign for Indian rights. Later, the Indian struggle for complete independence from the British Empire included a number of spectacular nonviolent campaigns. Perhaps the most notable was the yearlong Salt campaign in which 100,000 Indians were jailed for deliberately violating the Salt Laws. The refusal to counter the violence of the repressive social system with more violence is a tactic that has also been used by other movements. The militant campaign for women's suffrage in Britain included a variety of nonviolent tactics such as boycotts, noncooperation, limited property destruction, civil disobedience, mass marches and demonstrations, filling the jails, and disruption of public ceremonies. The Salvadoran people have used nonviolence as one powerful and necessary element of their struggle. Particularly during the 1960s and 70s, Christian based communities, labor unions, campesino organizations, and student groups held occupations and sit-ins at universities, government offices, and places of work such as factories and haciendas. There is rich tradition of nonviolent protest in this country as well, including Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad during the civil war and Henry David Thoreau's refusal to pay war taxes. Nonviolent civil disobedience was a critical factor in gaining women the right to vote in the United States, as well. The U.S. labor movement has also used nonviolence with striking effectiveness in a number of instances, such as the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) free speech confro... Free Essays on Civil Disobedience Free Essays on Civil Disobedience Henry David Thoreau’s â€Å"Civil Disobedience† So much has been written on Thoreau’s landmark essay on "Civil Disobedience." Indeed, it has been used as a model for modern day leaders like Martin Luther King, Jr., and Mahatma GandHi. Andrew Trask states, "It is important to remember that Dr. King viewed civil disobedience only as one part of a larger program of reform." He continues, "There are elements of Dr. King's "direct action" of civil disobedience that we must consider: "pure" nonviolence, pragmatic action, and finally, the difference between just and unjust laws." These ideas are clearly Thoreauvian in nature. Furthermore, Gandhi advocated the use of civility at all times- â€Å"the civil register†, which extols respect for the opposition and behavior out of understanding rather than anger. And like Thoreau, Gandhi was constantly seeking the higher truth with regard to man’s relationship in the universe. Although these men were the most famous followers of Thoreau’s ideals, this essay had more wide reaching political an! d social impact than most people understand. The Danish resistance (1940’s) used his theory in Occupied Denmark, in 1950's America it was adhered to by stringent opponents to McCarthyism. In the 1960's it was a means of using passive resistance to create pressure for overturning the laws and customs of racial Segregation and in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa. And in the 1970's, it was unearthed by a new generation of anti-war activists. However, it is interesting to note that not all modern day critics agree with Thoreau’s determination towards mass nonviolence. James Goodwin writes: â€Å"Although Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr., credited Thoreau as an inspiration to their mass campaigns of passive resistance, in crucial instances his thought appears to be more closely aligned to a doctrine of individual nihilism than to the philosophy of mass nonviolence. One such instance is co... Free Essays on Civil Disobedience What are the Dynamics of Civil Disobedience and Descent in the United States? The use of nonviolence runs throughout history. There have been numerous instances of people courageously and nonviolently refusing cooperation with injustice. However, the fusion of organized mass struggle and nonviolence is relatively new. It originated largely with Mohandas Gandhi in 1906 at the onset of the South African campaign for Indian rights. Later, the Indian struggle for complete independence from the British Empire included a number of spectacular nonviolent campaigns. Perhaps the most notable was the yearlong Salt campaign in which 100,000 Indians were jailed for deliberately violating the Salt Laws. The refusal to counter the violence of the repressive social system with more violence is a tactic that has also been used by other movements. The militant campaign for women's suffrage in Britain included a variety of nonviolent tactics such as boycotts, noncooperation, limited property destruction, civil disobedience, mass marches and demonstrations, filling the jails, and disruption of public ceremonies. The Salvadoran people have used nonviolence as one powerful and necessary element of their struggle. Particularly during the 1960s and 70s, Christian based communities, labor unions, campesino organizations, and student groups held occupations and sit-ins at universities, government offices, and places of work such as factories and haciendas. There is rich tradition of nonviolent protest in this country as well, including Harriet Tubman's Underground Railroad during the civil war and Henry David Thoreau's refusal to pay war taxes. Nonviolent civil disobedience was a critical factor in gaining women the right to vote in the United States, as well. The U.S. labor movement has also used nonviolence with striking effectiveness in a number of instances, such as the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW) free speech confro...