“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” - Martin Luther King Jr.. Peaceful resistance to laws positively impacts a free society by displaying diverse views to debatable issues in the nation. Typically contentious issues such as war, new laws, and social issues bring up a variety of competing and diverse opinions about the topic. The United States was founded upon diverse opinions coming together to form a united nation. The constitutional started with the Articles of Confederation, however after new ideas arose the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were formed. The Constitution gave citizens the right to vote, free speech, …show more content…
Discrimination had long been accepted in America, African Americans were dissatisfied with the life that they were forced to endure. Afraid to speak out against the country, they had to endure the hardships of cruelty and misjudgment. Then Martin Luther King Jr., a Baptist minister, decided to change the way African Americans were. He and the African American community came together to protest the way America treated the colored community. Martin Luther King Jr. led many peaceful protests, and discriminatory laws were disregarded leading him and others to jail. While sitting confined in a Birmingham Jail, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote: “Beyond this, I am in Birmingham because injustice is here...I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham. Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” These protests led to equality through the Civil Rights Act of 1964 which prohibited discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin. Without Martin Luther King Jr. standing up for the injustices being done (even through civil disobedience), there wouldn’t be the amount of equality we have