Civil Unrest

Civil unrest is a condition in which the state of a group of people has gotten to the point that they take action for themselves. Actions can include both civil disobedience, breaking laws, and government orders, or peaceful and legal public displays of disagreement with the status quo.

Civil Disobedience
The act of an individual or collection of individuals of actively and purposely defying laws on the grounds of them being unjust politically, socially, or economically. Civil disobedience has a negative connotation, even though it is one of the least traumatic ways to enact change in a country. Civil disobedience can either be non-violent or violent.

Non-violent Protest
Non-violent civil disobedience is the act of breaking the law, and when under attack by counter-protest mobs, to not retaliate. Generally speaking, part of a non-violent protest is not resisting arrest, and complying with the authorities' orders. One of the most common non-violent ways of expressing civil unrest during the African American civil rights movement was the sit-in. The other most common act of civil disobedience at the time was the boycott, a collective decision by members of the group to not use a service they felt was a cause, or sympton, of the condition of unrest.

Violent Protest
Civil disobedience that uses violence, riots, or sabotage is a form of violent protest, whether or not anyone is actually harmed during the events. Violent civil disobedience can actually be defined as civil rebellion, even if the objective is not to overthrow or drastically change the government. The problem with violent protests is the dis-accreditation of any possible future non-violent protests.

Important Protests

 * Sit-In's
 * March on Washington