Civil Disobedience Against Government

Civil disobedience is the active refusal to obey certain laws and demands of a government. People argue that going against the government is not right and that it is breaking the law. Although in some cases it may not be right, it does not mean it is breaking the law. The Declaration of Independence states, “... whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends,” meaning Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness then, “it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government…” (Bill of Rights Institute). The government should respect the people and provide safety and happiness. However, that does not happen always. So, it is appropriate to go against the government under certain circumstances.

Governments do not understand that people should not be discriminated by certain laws. Rosa Parks made a movement by simply “... asking every Negro to stay off the buses…” (Dove). She made a stand against the government without causing any harm. A single voice can influence many people to take a stand for what is right. For example, Martin Luther King Jr. influenced Mahatma Gandhi in the Salt March. In 1930,
Mahatma Gandhi fought for Indian Independence through nonviolent civil disobedience, against England. He gained support from others and support for the Indian Independence movement (Ironline). With these examples, it shows that it is possible to revolt against the government without any

People should not be forcefully persuaded to believe or do something that goes against one’s conscience. For example, in “Touching Thirty (Sam Lovejoy),” by Studs Terkel, the people are bribed and persuaded to support the idea of nuclear power. Some people are easily persuaded, but others like Studs Terkel are not. Terkel is the only person not falling for the plan to get into people’s mind. Starting the environmental movement, he notices that the people “were liberal, straight people, not really understanding the need for action other than lobbying Congress.” (Terkel). Which means people were going along with the government because the people were just following what others did and it was considered popular. Doing something just because other people are doing it is not always effective. People may have other other opinions, beliefs, etc., and the government has shown that it is easy to persuade the society to do something since some people do something just because another person is doing it. People need to follow what the conscience inside the brain is saying instead of other people trying to persuade. People need to use common sense when choosing who is going to govern them instead of falling for the use of propaganda and persuasion. Common sense and the conscience can overthrow persuasion any day. Another appropriate reason to go against the government