Pros And Cons Of Edward Snowden
Many would consider civil disobedience to be a sort of plague upon the United States. While it certainly isn’t that, it definitely has some negative connotations to it. All the while, it is an important part of the rights of an American citizen. Here in the US, we have certain unalienable freedoms that we all get to enjoy. One of these freedoms is that of free speech, and another is that to peacefully protest things we don’t like. Civil disobedience is similar to peaceful protest, however the issue arises with the fact that people are violating the law. This, however, does not remove the rights they receive for being citizens. A great example of civil disobedience that should be fairly fresh in the minds of the politically active citizen is the case of Edward Snowden. Many consider Snowden a hero, while many others consider him to be a wretched traitor. Both sides have their merits, however there are a few things neither can deny. First off, Snowden did reveal classified government information, which is a major problem. Not only is this against the law, but this also threatens
…show more content…
The next example is one less known to the citizen and more apparent to the historian. Back in the 1920s, more than a few people decided that alcohol was becoming too big of a problem for the country as a whole. This led to the ratification of the 18th amendment, which put a prohibition on anything to do with alcohol in the United States. This ushered in the Era of Prohibition that lasted from 1920 to 1933. People ignored this new law and instead got their liquor from illegal sources, and the government soon realized that they were losing out on tax revenue. Thus, the 21st amendment was ratified, which once again allowed for the legal sale and consumption of alcohol. This is a perfect example of civil disobedience at work, and one that has still had its effect to this
The next example is one less known to the citizen and more apparent to the historian. Back in the 1920s, more than a few people decided that alcohol was becoming too big of a problem for the country as a whole. This led to the ratification of the 18th amendment, which put a prohibition on anything to do with alcohol in the United States. This ushered in the Era of Prohibition that lasted from 1920 to 1933. People ignored this new law and instead got their liquor from illegal sources, and the government soon realized that they were losing out on tax revenue. Thus, the 21st amendment was ratified, which once again allowed for the legal sale and consumption of alcohol. This is a perfect example of civil disobedience at work, and one that has still had its effect to this