Civil Disobedience: The Misunderstanding Of Patriotism And I

Civil Disobedience: The Misunderstanding of Patriotism and Its Impact

Human emotions are like fuel to a fire during a protest; it is unlikely that it will ever be completely “peaceful” and more likely lead to violence and chaos. Although freedom of debate and assembly are protected under our First Amendment rights as citizens of the United States, so is the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances, without the risk of death in the end. In the essay, “Civil Disobedience: Destroyer of Democracy” (1969), Lewis Van Dusen, Jr. urges that civil disobedience threatens democracy’s purpose of order. He emphasizes that reckless shortcut alternatives to the democratic process of petition, debate, and assembly will destroy a society built on the rule of laws. He explains, “If citizens rely on antidemocratic means of protest, they will help bring about the undemocratic result of an authoritarian or anarchic state” (Van Dusen 3).

Contrasting Van Dusen, Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Civil Disobedience” (1849) advocates for disobedience to unjust laws. Thoreau questions, “Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, shall we endeavor to amend them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?” (Thoreau 311). While Thoreau justifies meaningful civil disobedience, Van Dusen contends that such acts can lead to violence, chaos, and, historically, threaten democratic stability. Both authors wrote during controversial American wars, framing their arguments within their respective contexts. Thoreau’s essay was penned at the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, criticizing the government’s immoral pursuit of war and the use of men as “machines” (Thoreau 307). Van Dusen’s essay was published during the Vietnam War in 1969, at a time when the United States was engaged in a conflict with complex geopolitical implications, including the fight against communism.

Both authors acknowledge that a government is necessary. Thoreau recognizes the benefits of a government that enacts just laws but criticizes its inefficiency and slowness in implementing change. He states, “All machines have their friction; and possibly this does enough good to counterbalance the evil. At any rate, it is a great evil to make a stir about it. But when the friction comes to have its machine, and oppression and robbery are organized, I say let us not have such a machine any longer” (Thoreau 308). Van Dusen emphasizes the importance of obeying laws and court procedures to uphold citizens’ rights, asserting, “Since equalities will mar even the best framed democracies, the injustice rationale would allow a free right of civil resistance to be available always as a shortcut alternative to the democratic way of petition, debate, and assembly” (Van Dusen 2).

Thoreau describes necessary violence as, “Action from principle, the perception and the performance of right, changes things and relations; it is essentially revolutionary, and do not consist wholly with anything which was” (Thoreau 311). Conversely, Van Dusen highlights the dangers, illustrating, “First, it courts violence, and even the most careful and limited use of non-violent acts of disobedience may help sow the dragon-teeth of civil riot” (Van Dusen 3). An example is the Kent State incident of May 1, 1970, where initially peaceful protests turned violent as students vandalized property and set fires, leading to the National Guard's intervention, which resulted in the death of four students and injuries to others (History.com). This event exemplifies how civil disobedience can escalate into violence, supporting Van Dusen’s argument that such actions threaten democracy’s stability.

After all, what is the purpose of civil disobedience without the capacity to enact legislative change? The fundamental goal of protest is to influence policy through lawful means, and history shows that persuading legislative and judicial bodies is essential for long-term reform. Van Dusen notes, “To adopt the techniques of civil disobedience is to assume that representative government does not work. To resist the decisions of courts and the laws of elected assemblies is to say that democracy has failed” (Van Dusen 3). Without faith in the democratic process, society risks descending into chaos and violence, which can undermine the very rights civil disobedience seeks to uphold.

In conclusion, while Thoreau champions civil disobedience as a moral and revolutionary act against injustice, Van Dusen presents a more pragmatic perspective, emphasizing that such actions can provoke violence and threaten democratic stability. The historical evidence, from the violent outcome of the Kent State shootings to the slow yet vital process of legislative change, underscores that lawful and peaceful methods of protest are preferable to shortcut measures that risk chaos. Therefore, civil disobedience must be exercised responsibly within the framework of democratic institutions to ensure that it does not become a destructive force but rather a catalyst for just and lasting reforms.

References

• History.com Editors. “Kent State Shooting.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 8 Sept. 2017.
• Thoreau, Henry D. “Civil Disobedience.” In A World of Ideas: Essential Readings for College Writers, edited by Lee A. Jacobus, Bedford/St. Martin's, 2013, pp. 301–324.
• Van Dusen, Lewis H. “Civil Disobedience: Destroyer of Democracy.” In The Essay Connection: Readings for Writers, 4th ed., edited by Lynn Z. Bloom, D.C. Heath and Company, 1995, pp. 563-570.
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