The Act of Civil Disobedience as a Mechanism of Resisting Oppression

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The Act of Civil Disobedience/Non-Violence as An Effective Mechanism of Resisting Oppression
Over the years, people have been using non-violent tactics to resists inhumanity, oppression, and other atrocities. The term "civil disobedience" can be defined as the refusal to comply or adhere to authority's commands. Many groups and individuals have used civil disobedience as a tactic of creating change. Arguably, the most popular individual to employ this tactic was Mahatma Gandhi of India, whose actions would later inspire the civil rights movement led by Martin Luther King Jr in the united states. Gandhi called his non-violent resistance a distinct form of political action "satyagraha." Satyagraha was holding fast to truth in one's everyday activities. Therefore, this paper will focus on the act of civil disobedience or non-violence and how it was effectively utilized by Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr in their fight against oppression.
The nonviolent tactics established by Gandhi became the bedrock of the civil rights movement. Gandhi emphasizes that the use of some violence is what distinguishes satyagraha from passive resistance (Gandhi, Mahatma). During the formation of the civil rights movement, African Americans had gotten tired of the atrocities that were being done to them by the whites. For instance, the levels of discrimination were very high. The white was allowed to live in classy estates while the African Americans could only afford to live in the ghettos. Besides, African Americans were not allowed to step foot in the estates made for whites only. The job market was also very selective as African Americans were only allowed to work in farms and other jobs whose pay was little. Therefore, the civil rights movement was formed to put an end to such atrocities and inhuman activities. The civil rights movement leader, Martin Luther, believed that the movement would bring an end to the oppression. The movement aimed to carry out peaceful demonstrations that would, in turn, persuade the leader to stop the inhuman acts that were being done against the African Americans.
The non-violent tactic resulted in major changes following the formation of the civil rights movement. The movement followers knew that violent demonstrations would not result in any changes. Rather, it would worsen the situation since more regulations would be set to curb the violence. There would be a lot of fighting and shooting by the white police, something which the movement's leaders did not want. Therefore, peaceful demonstrations became the main tactic that would, in turn, influence change. Martin Luther was a respected leader, and some people were criticizing his support for protests. However, he made it clear that the protests were peaceful and aimed at creating change that would end the inhuman acts against African Americans. Martin Luther showed strong support for his argument by leading the movement and encouraging the followers to have peaceful demonstrations (King). Luther was applying Gandhi's repertoire to ensure that the needs of African Americans were taken into consideration. The civil rights movement borrowed Gandhi's techniques and made them routine. As the civil rights ...