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Jordan Goldbourn
Professor Denno
English 102: Argument and Research
22 February 2016
Rational Resistance
Resistance many times conjures visuals of destruction. This words connotation is
unfortunately often negative. However, resistance that is rational or peaceful has proven
throughout history to be a most effective tool in facilitating broader social change. Instead of
laying to waste dated ideology leaving nothing but loss and fear and anger, rational resistance
aims for peaceful resolutions. This is why it has proven itself more effective in bringing about
real change. Omitting violence provides common peaceful protest to bring attention to injustices
or inequalities. This appeals to more people. Peaceful protests have higher success rates
statistically not only because they attract public support, but also because they force governments
to act. Laws change when people stand up together. If governments fight back with force, the
opposition only grows. Modern governments more often seek peaceful resolutions to shift in
public opinion. They avoid full on revolution this way. History and current events both provide
examples of how rational resistance better facilitates change.
Resistance is successful when rational. A successful Gandhi's movement of satyagraha
which can be defined as passive political resistance. Gandhi does reject this definition however.
He eventually implies that the meaning of the movement is the force which is born of truth and
love or non-violence (1). It can be argued that resistance is illogical, Gandhi's resistance
however was thoughtful and firm, in a good cause. Ghandis satyagraha is described as that
weapon, satyagraha, was the culmination of a profound development in Gandhi himself. The

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reason why satyagraha found favour among the Indians was that it marshalled their innermost
resources, and thereby gave them the dignity their legal disabilities sought to deny. Satyagraha is
soul force, pure and simple, and that is the way they understood it. It was not a weapon of the
weak (1). The original term was going to be called sadagraha which means firmness in a
good cause. Gandhi decided it did not fully represent the full idea and changed it to satyagraha.
Satyagraha meaning Truth (satya) implies love, and firmness (agraha)engenders and therefore
serves as a synonym for force (1). This whole movement was actually successful and drove the
British out that were oppressing Gandhi's people. Gandhis Satyagraha was logical, nonviolent
and successful. In no way did Gandhi conflict any violence towards the British. He was forceful
but in a peaceful way. Gandhi frustrated his oppressors. Instead of persuading the British with
force or threats he caused them to change in form or convert that opresor. Resistance can be very
successful when resistance is rational.
Rational, non violent resistance has been successful throughout history. Take Rosa Parks
the mother of the civil-rights movement for example. This woman simply resisted by not
moving from her seat. At this time it was completely illegal to refuse to give up her seat to a
white man. She would be arrested for this simple resistance of not moving from her seat. Her
arrest would spark the Montgomery Bus Boycott. A year later, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a
lower courts decision that made segregated seating unconstitutional. Rosa Parks simple, nonviolent and rational resistance impacted the civil rights movement tremendously. Her resistance
was rational because she was standing up for her own human rights and civil rights for many
other African Americans. Rosa Parks resisted peacefully by just saying the word no. She did
not use violence in any way. It can be argued that her resistance was not rational because it was
the social norm at this time for whites to be the figure in authority. It was the social norm to treat

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African Americans poorly at this time. Another contributor to the civil rights movement is Dr.
Martin Luther Kings deliverance of his I Have a Dream speech would rouse a nation to action.
On August 28, 1963, more than 200,000 people of different race would gather in the shadow of
the Lincoln Memorial to demand equal rights for African Americans. One may question how this
is rational if one man is giving a speech in front of over 200,000 people about a very
controversial topic of its time. However, it is rational. He is speaking against the oppression of
African Americans and to the people there that support the civil rights movement. It's rational
because he is standing up for his cause in a peaceful, logical manner. He uses his words to inspire
the people and allow them to understand the oppression he and his people are going through.
There is no illogical, destructive resistance occurring.
One may think that when destructive resistance is successful there will be no
repercussions and have a positive impact on the world. But in fact, it will only cause more issues
in the long run through violence and destruction. The use of violence will only hinder the public
support which in the long run weakens the resistance. Nat Turners Rebellion is an example of
this. He may have been successful in killing some of his white oppressors, but it was destructive
and in the end, lead to his death. His destructive tendencies only lead a small group of people
that were maliciously killing white families. Obviously if white families are being killed they
aren't going to make an attempt to understand where Nat Turner and his followers are coming
from. Divine voices and an eclipse of the sun drove Turner to begin his rebellion with other
slaves. The killing of a family by Nat Turner and the other slaves led to the deaths of many other
white people. After Turners rebellion, he would hide and eventually be discovered, convicted,
and then hung along with a number of his followers. The fear that Turner put into the whites
ultimately made it worse for slaves. The emancipation movement would end in that region which

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resulted in even harsher laws against slaves. The harsher laws would further deepen the
separation between slaveholders and Free-Soilers. The Free-Soilers were an anti-slavery political
party. Turners rebellion was ultimately unsuccessful. Turner was only successful in killing many
white people. However, his actions, which happened to be killing many whites did not do much
for the civil rights movement. In fact, he made slavery worse in that time period due to the fear
he instilled on the white people. It can be argued that his rebellion was thoughtful and executed
but the only success he had was the killing of many people. His rebellion ultimately lead to his
death, made slavery worse for that time period, and did not contribute a positive influence
towards the civil rights movement in general.
Resistance is successful when resistance is rational. Rational, thoughtful, and peaceful
resistance ultimately leads to a more successful and positive outcome.Rational resistance does
not cause destruction and more conflicts in the long run. The conflicts occurred after Turners
rebellion because of his destructive tendencies. His destructive tendencies happened to be killing
many white people. Turners resistance ultimately made slavery worse. Deaths of many people
also occurred in his resistance. This struck fear in the whites.The fear that was instilled in the
white people by the slaves ultimately put a halt to their freedom. Rational resistance, however,
can still be firm with no violence. The slightest resistance like refusing to move from your seat
on a bus can spark an idea and movement to contribute to the overall success of the civil rights
movement. It can also be an entire movement and resistance. Gandhi's movement of satyagraha
is an example of a resistance that is firm, peaceful and successful. There is no destruction, out of
spite actions and violence involved. If the resistance is violent, people are more likely going to
side with the government instead of their own people because they are the ones being attacked.
This is statistically proven. No one wants to side with the bad guy or be wrong. If violent

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resistance is successful it only causes more problems in the long run. Resistance that is just, is
resistance that works rationally.

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References
"Top 10 Nonviolent Protests - Photo Essays." Time. Time Inc., n.d. Web. 25 Feb. 2016.
"Nat Turner." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/nat-turner
Brittain, Victoria. "The Rebellious Life Of Mrs Rosa Parks." Race And Class 3 (2014): 93. General
Reference Center Gold. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.
Josiah, Ubong E., and Gift Oghenerho. "Pragmatic Analyses Of Martin Luther King (Jr)'S Speech: "I Have A
Dream"--An Introspective Prognosis." Journal Of Education And Practice 6.17 (2015): 43-52. ERIC. Web. 28 Feb.
2016.

"Nat Turner's Rebellion." Encyclopedia of African American Society (n.d.): n. pag. Web.
"Gandhi and Satyagraha." Civil Disobedience : Protest, Justification, and the Law (n.d.): n.
pag. Web.