Civil Disobedience

Introduction

In 1849, there was much to rebel against in the United States, and Thoreau argued against slavery. Thoreau wrote about the need for civil disobedience to change the dominant power structure:



"How does it become a man to behave toward this American government to-day? I answer, that he cannot without disgrace be associated with it. I cannot for an instant recognize that political organization as my government which is the slave's government also."



"...when a sixth of the population of a nation which has undertaken to be the refuge of liberty are slaves, and a whole country is unjustly overrun and conquered by a foreign army, and subjected to military law, I think that it is not too soon for honest men to rebel and revolutionize. What makes this duty the more urgent is the fact that the country so overrun is not our own, but ours is the invading army."

 

Think about :   What issues in today's society have you seen people rebel against? What issues would you rebel against?

Task

Consider this quote:

"All men recognize the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable." -- Thoreau, Civil Disobedience

 

Thoreau's words still ring true to this day. Civil disobedience is occurring in this country as you read these words. Can you name any groups which are rebelling against the government? 

Have you ever rebelled against injustice? If you could join a cause, what would it be? If you created an activist group, what would you fight for?

In this webquest, you will learn what civil disobedience is, and how it has been used in our modern times.

At the end you should be able to answer these followung questions:

  • What does civil disobedience look like?
  • What kind of civil disobedience is present in today’s 21st century society?
  • Does modern civil disobedience do any good?
  • How does the civil disobedience of today compare to the civil disobedience of Thoreau's time? 
  • Is civil disobedience necessary for a healthy democracy?

Process

What is Civil Disobedience?

1. Examine these links. Take notes on anything that strikes you as interesting, shocking, or confusing. You will be answering the questions in #2 below after you have completed the videos.

Be prepared to share your thoughts in your small group.


2. For each video, answer these questions. We will discuss them in class, and they will be turned in for homework points:

  • What is being protested?
  • What role does violence play? What role does nonviolence play?
  • Is it evident if the protest was successful?
  • Would you participate in a protest like this?
  • What commonalities do you see between these four examples?
  • What differences do you see between these four examples?

Evaluation

Make sure you have answered the questions for each video as well as the question in the Task section.

Turn in your work to the tray or email you responses.