ABSTRACT
The tactics used by revolutionaries who envisioned a more democratic way of life have been an inspiration for many activists and community organizers (Honey, 2006). Emerging from the circumstances of the American Revolution, the U.S. Declaration of Independence itself expresses a philosophy committed to social transformation to maintain a free society. Indeed, if any form of government becomes destructive of the ends of democracy, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it (Declaration of Independence). When established political systems do not respond to the needs of people, organizing has historically been a way for citizens to ensure their grievances are heard (Zinn, 2003). In addition to such democratic mandates, organizers across the globe have drawn from human rights frameworks, as well as indigenous or localized legacies of resistance, to inspire them to work for change.
