Many people seem to have a skeptical attitude about civil disobedience, including some pro-freedom activists. Some discount its effectiveness, using the argument that one guy doesn't matter, which are already rebutted. Others imagine scenarios like the civil rights or nuclear energy protests, with people getting beaten and arrested, and understandably say, "Not for me, thanks." There's more to civil disobedience than these examples. It can be a highly effective tactic that will help educate individuals as well as bringing about desired change. It's also a very flexible tool that every freedom lover ought to have in his or her tool kit.
Probably the best known example of civil disobedience is Mohandas Gandhi's single-handed, unrelenting effort to bring freedom to India. His enlightenment as to Indian servitude at the hands of Britons spurred him to write, to agitate, and to take principled action to bring independence to India. He was jailed repeatedly, but remained defiant. His unrelenting advocacy of nonviolent protest brought many to his cause; his civil disobedience actions made it easy for Indians to participate, and feel empowered for it. One of the best-known actions was his walk to the sea to make salt an act that was illegal at the time. British authorities dared not arrest him, in fear of the protests and strikes an arrest might spark, and his example led many to make and sell salt themselves, ridding themselves of British intervention and control, and reducing British tax revenues.
There are examples from American history as well. Many people seem to forget the large-scale civil disobedience that led to the repeal of the Volsted Act, ending Prohibition. Sure, many folks didn't call it that they just wanted to drink alcohol but it was civil disobedience nonetheless. A more recent example is the home schooling movement. Parents......
