"Throughout history human rights and equality have been achieved not by violence but through peace and/or co-operation with those in charge."
Here are a list of events and people that prove this statement:
One of Locke's Books
John Locke was born on August 29, 1632 and died on October 28, 1704. He believed that everyone has natural rights, which everyone is born with. By that he means that people couldn't alienate their life, liberty, and property. He believed that the government should protect these rights with the result that their power be limited. Therefore a social contract was made so that the government is under the control of its people, limiting its power. This contract in made between the government in power and the people. (Haberman, 83)
He was alive during the American Revolution so his ideas were relevant and were seen in the Declaration of Independence where it says "That to secure these rights [of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness], Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from consent of the governed,-- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Rights of the People to alter or to abolish it,".
John Locke's ideas show that the government has to be involved with achievement of equal rights for all individuals.
Failed Violent Protests:
Gruesomeness of the French Revolution
French Revolution started in 1789 because of the hardships and oppression experienced by many typical French Families who had to pay unfair increasing taxes and given the responsibility of seigneurial obligations. Also with the massive shortages of harvest and inconveniently high food prices it was hard for them to live a sustainable life. To top it off, ideas of the enlightenment were very influential and gave people the need for equality. (Haberman, 159)
After the French Revolution was over it didn't result in any improvement for the ordinary French people and only resulted in 10 years of utter chaos. With mindless destruction and numerous pointlessly gruesome deaths.
The General Strike in 1926 which happened over a nine day period was a strike started by coal miners in England. They were unfairly assigned longer hours and lower pay and the government of England supported the owners of the coal mine. There was some violence but that was it and it ended after nine days. This violent protest accomplished nothing without the co-operation of the government. (Haberman, 359)
Successful Peaceful Protest:
Martin Luther King lived in a time where his people weren't treated equally because of their skin colour. However he supported the idea of civil disobedience when laws were unjust. He once said this:
“An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law”
- Martin Luther King Jr.
March in Washington (King in middle)
Though King believed in civil disobedience when laws were unjust, he did not believe in violent protests. Civil disobedience is defined as: The refusal to comply with certain laws or to pay taxes and fines, as a peaceful form of political protest. This was the only method that King used to solve this immense social issue. A famous example of his civil rights protest was the March in Washington on August 28, 1963. During these protests Martin Luther King was arrested and put in jail. As a result he wrote a letter to basically America and the government were he expresses his belief that civil disobedience was completely necessary.
Modern America shows that King's efforts were not in vain, segregation is abolished and everyone in America by law is equal. This was not achieved with violence but with peaceful protests and co-operation with the president himself, as President Kennedy was the one who supported a Civil Rights Act. Through peace and co-operation with those in charge, human rights were achieved.
In conclusion one of the most successful protests in history that lead to the change of an entire nations values and attitude towards human rights were changed through peace and co-operation with the government.
Works Cited
Info:
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/marchonwashington.html
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/civil-disobedience
Pictures (In order):
http://www.themuslimtimes.org/2012/04/countries/uk/protestant-mahometans-islam-and-the-coming-of-tolerance-to-britain/attachment/john-locke-tolerance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution
http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-martin-luther-king-jr
http://blog.soton.ac.uk/rcs/2014/12/05/martin-luther-king-jr/
Here are a list of events and people that prove this statement:
 |
| One of Locke's Books |
He was alive during the American Revolution so his ideas were relevant and were seen in the Declaration of Independence where it says "That to secure these rights [of Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness], Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from consent of the governed,-- That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Rights of the People to alter or to abolish it,".
John Locke's ideas show that the government has to be involved with achievement of equal rights for all individuals.
Failed Violent Protests:
 |
| Gruesomeness of the French Revolution |
After the French Revolution was over it didn't result in any improvement for the ordinary French people and only resulted in 10 years of utter chaos. With mindless destruction and numerous pointlessly gruesome deaths.
The General Strike in 1926 which happened over a nine day period was a strike started by coal miners in England. They were unfairly assigned longer hours and lower pay and the government of England supported the owners of the coal mine. There was some violence but that was it and it ended after nine days. This violent protest accomplished nothing without the co-operation of the government. (Haberman, 359)
Successful Peaceful Protest:
“An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law”
- Martin Luther King Jr.
 |
| March in Washington (King in middle) |
Modern America shows that King's efforts were not in vain, segregation is abolished and everyone in America by law is equal. This was not achieved with violence but with peaceful protests and co-operation with the president himself, as President Kennedy was the one who supported a Civil Rights Act. Through peace and co-operation with those in charge, human rights were achieved.
In conclusion one of the most successful protests in history that lead to the change of an entire nations values and attitude towards human rights were changed through peace and co-operation with the government.
Works Cited
Info:
http://www.infoplease.com/spot/marchonwashington.html
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/civil-disobedience
Pictures (In order):
http://www.themuslimtimes.org/2012/04/countries/uk/protestant-mahometans-islam-and-the-coming-of-tolerance-to-britain/attachment/john-locke-tolerance
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution
http://www.history.com/news/10-things-you-may-not-know-about-martin-luther-king-jr
http://blog.soton.ac.uk/rcs/2014/12/05/martin-luther-king-jr/
Nick, your argument here is very strong, and I do believe very strongly as well that peaceful movements will lead to justice and restoration of human rights better than violence would. History in the Western World shows a great amount of violence from people literally fighting for their rights. You showed a great example of the French Revolution, and like you said, after 10 years of chaos in France there was no improvement, only many pointless gruesome deaths. Again, another great example you showed was, in my opinion, the greatest human rights activist, Martin Luther King, Jr. and his many peaceful movements for equality of races. MLK is the greatest, and most true example for proving that peace is always the answer over violence, as his protests and marches lead to ending segregation and equality of races by the law. However here is where I was confronted slightly with dissonance when you said “Modern America shows that King’s efforts were not in vain, segregation is abolished and everyone in America by law is equal. This was not achieved with violence but with peaceful protests and co-operation with the president himself, as President Kennedy was the one who supported a Civil Rights Act. Through peace and co-operation with those in charge, human rights were achieved.” I would have to say that comparing this statement here to modern day society, it is not true. The key words are by law everyone is equal. By law, yes I guess this is true, however, looking at the deaths of African Americans in the south of America this past year I would argue that modern America would make MLK be ashamed. The violence and riots that are present are because of the inequality between races and the abuse of power in the police system, but if King were alive to see the chaos in streets of Baltimore and Ferguson he would be ashamed. Your thesis is greatly needed in the modern Western World, if people would understand that violence will not achieve equality and justice to human rights, there would be much less obstructions to human rights.
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