Examples Of Disobedience Sparks Progression

Sydney Krcmarik
AP Argument Essay
30 January 2023
Disobedience Sparks Progression
Oscar Wilde’s statement about disobedience being a valuable way to promote social change is valid as long as those who are fighting remember that they are fighting to bring positive change to their community. When citizens are motivated to really see change and think more about their community as a whole, rather than their own personal power, real change is possible. For example, Susan B. Anthony’s fight for women's rights led to her doing many disobedient acts. Nonetheless, she did them unapologetically, knowing that she was bringing necessary change and progress. However, when the angry civilians of the French Revolutions rebelled, their leaders tried to strike

Anthony, alongside her fellow activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, established the National Woman Suffrage Association. She believed in equality for all humans and she hoped to someday win women the right to share their opinions and vote for whomever they pleased. She even voted illegally in the 1872 presidential election to ensure that her voice was heard amongst men. Susan B. Anthony’s disobedient act of illegally voting in the presidential election, as well as protesting in women’s rights movements, helped promote and pave the way for the 19th Amendment. Her acts of civil disobedience support Wilde’s statement about rebellion inducing change in society. If Anthony had given up and succumbed to the tyranny of a male-dominated society, the fight for gender equality would not be where it is today. However, since women all around the country saw and believed in the significance of Anthony’s rebellious ideas, they stood up for themselves and women everywhere. Anthony and every woman alongside her remembered what was most important: equality for all people. They used their aligned ideas to successfully change the way they were viewed in society and by men everywhere. However acts of disobedience have not always promoted society, but rather, hindered positive progression and

Since most of the Third Estate was starving while only three percent of the upper class enjoyed an overabundance of food, the French civilians decided to revolt against the monarchy. However, instead of using their act of disobedience to promote positive change, the leaders of the revolution instead invoked fear in the hearts of everyone in France to increase their own power. For example, Maximilien Robespierre was one of the great leaders of the revolution until he decided to abolish Catholicism and crown himself the leader of his own new religion. This period of time was known as the Reign of Terror because Robespierre sent 600,000 civilians to the guillotine and civilians forgot what they were fighting for out of fear for their lives. Because the French were done with all the death and greed that surrounded them, the French Revolution was widely unsuccessful and France regressed back to a monarchy. Wilde’s idea that disobedience induces progress does not accurately describe the French Revolution because the French civilians were tired of the death that was constantly around them, and were tired of the leaders that were rebelling against the monarchy to increase their standing in society. Disobedience did not help France progress because its leaders were too concerned