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The Nonviolent Protest: The Civil Rights Act Of 1964

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While sitting in jail for nonviolent protest, Dr. Martin Luther King wrote, “One has not only a legal but a moral responsibility to obey just laws. Conversely, one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws” (King). This message of civil disobedience defined the American Civil Rights Movement: when the law is unjust, nonviolent action becomes morally and fundamentally required. Through boycotts, marches, and other forms of peaceful resistance, the American Civil Rights Movement ultimately lead to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (The Civil Rights Act of 1964), a key piece of equal rights legislation that outlawed discrimination based on sex or race. Peaceful resistance to laws is the cornerstone of progress in a free society, and it is fundamental to democracy and equality. …show more content…

Constitution); Americans enjoy freedom of speech and expression, the right to assemble, and the right to “petition the government for a redress of grievances” (U.S. Constitution). Within legal limits, Americans have the inalienable right to protest injustice and inequality. This right to protest peacefully has served as the basis for furthering democracy in America; from the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950s and early 1960s (The Civil Rights Act of 1964), to the recent Women’s March on Washington (Hartocollis), peaceful resistance has served as a wake up call for reform and justice. Fundamental to a free society is the ability to right wrongs, democratize, and fight tyranny, and peaceful resistance has become the go-to catalyst for this kind of positive change in

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