Which has made more of an impact on American society and politics in the years since 1945: law or lawlessness?

Law or Lawlessness

Which has made more of an impact on American society

and politics in the years since 1945

Law (a loanword from Old Norse lag , in politics and jurisprudence , is a set of rules or norms of conduct which mandate , proscribe or permit specified relationships among people and organizations , provide methods for ensuring the impartial treatment of such people , and provide punishments for those who do not follow the established rules of conduct

Lawlessness is synonymous with disobedience . Disobedience is man 's original virtue , and it is through

disobedience that progress has been made (Walker et al , 1996 ,

. xii . Princeton University 's WorldNet (2005 ) dictionary defines lawlessness as anarchy with the premise of dis usually resulting from a failure of government , where as the Random House Unabridged Dictionary defines it as 1 ) contrary to or without regard for the law .2 ) being without law uncontrolled by a law unbridled unruly unrestrained (2006 . In terms of lawlessness as unrestrained behavior , uncontrolled by a law compared to the jurisprudence of law ' clearly lawlessness has had the greatest impact on American society and politics since 1945

One common impact through the years since 1945 has been racial tension and hatred , of which Bloom Breines (2003 ) vividly illustrate through stories of freedom , independence , mobs , and anarchy . In Taking it to the streets (Bloom Breines , 2003 ) the authors state : Such leaders are most often men of good will who do not condone violence and , perhaps even now , see no relation between the civil disobedience which they counsel and the riots and violence which have erupted . Yet , once the decision is made that laws need not be obeyed -whatever the rationale -a contribution is made to a climate of lawlessness (p . 340

Concerning the murder of Martin Luther King , Jr , the President commented , urging every citizen to reject the blind violence that has struck Dr . King .We can achieve nothing by lawlessness and divisiveness among the American people (2003 ,

. 424 . Violence is the forefront for lawlessness , as this will support . The example of Dr . King 's murder , the War in Vietnam , multiple student movements for peace and nonviolent action in times of conflict , among others indicate that Americans want better circumstances , better obedience of the laws that govern this nation . However , just as the law ' does not instill refrain in those who commit crimes , the law cannot remove or eradicate lawlessness altogether

The Civil Rights Movement has had a vast impact on lawlessness . In fact , in the years after 1965 , the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC ) worked to move to the center of the civil rights struggle , embracing positions more radical than its predecessors . SNCC drew college students from all over the country -- black and white , male and female , northern and southern -- into the civil rights movement (Bloom Breines , 2003 . Conflicts over race flowed over into welfare issues , including that of the welfare rights movement . According to Davis (1993 , along with black liberation , the New Left , and feminism the...