Civil disobedience

part 1

most people remember gandhi and dr. martin luther king, jr. as reformers who practiced non-violent forms of protest and advocacy. both effectively changed the popular opinion about emotional issues for their countries and brought in a wave of change that was long overdue. but the practice of non-violent protest, or civil disobedience, started long before either gandhi or king. it began with a quiet, shy poet who is best known for writing a lot about a pond.

henry david thoreau lived from 1817 until 1862, mainly in the area of concord, massachusetts. the issue that would tear the country apart in the 1860s had already begun dividing the nation. thoreau was only 14 when nat turner led the slave rebellion in virginia and was later hanged. in his late 20s, thoreau began speaking against slavery in public, echoing the voices of freedmen like frederick douglass and lewis hayden.

thoreau believed that a government that supported slavery was corrupt and immoral. he was also deeply suspicious of government. for these and other reasons, thoreau refused to pay his poll tax for a number of years. the poll tax was a legal tax owed by every person. it was basically a tax on one's body. after not paying for years, he was at last arrested. he spent only one night in jail, however, as a relative paid the tax for him. he was reportedly furious that any tax was paid on his behalf.

it was this experience that thoreau wrote about in an essay called "civil disobedience." in this essay, he argued that being moral and just came before allegiance to government. he wrote “if the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, i say, break the law." he also felt that voting was not enough to ensure that the right thing be done. he wrote that "even voting for the right is doing nothing for it… a wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance…" he felt that one had a moral responsibility to resist unjust laws.

which line from part 1 best explains its main point?

1.) but the practice of non-violent protest, or civil disobedience, started long before either gandhi or king.

2.)the issue that would tear the country apart in the 1860s had already begun dividing the nation.

3.)thoreau believed that a government that supported slavery was corrupt and immoral.

4.) in this essay, he argued that being moral and just came before allegiance to government.

2. read the excerpt from martin luther king, jr.'s nobel peace prize acceptance speech: i accept this award today with an abiding faith in america and an audacious faith in the future of mankind. i refuse to accept despair as the final response to the ambiguities of history. i refuse to accept the idea that the "isness" of man's present nature makes him morally incapable of reaching up for the eternal "oughtness" that forever confronts him. i refuse to accept the idea that man is mere flotsam and jetsam in the river of life, unable to influence the unfolding events which surround him. i refuse to accept the view that mankind is so tragically bound to the starless midnight of racism and war that the bright daybreak of peace and brotherhood can never become a reality. i refuse to accept the cynical notion that nation after nation must spiral down a militaristic stairway into the hell of thermonuclear destruction. i believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. this is why right temporarily defeated is stronger than evil triumphant. i believe that even amid today's mortar bursts and whining bullets, there is still hope for a brighter tomorrow. i believe that wounded justice, lying prostrate on the blood-flowing streets of our nations, can be lifted from this dust of shame to reign supreme among the children of men. i have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. i believe that what self-centered men have torn down other-centered men can build up. i still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of god and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive good will proclaim the rule of the land. "and the lion and the lamb shall lie down together and every man shall sit under his own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid." i still believe that we shall overcome! instructions: create an outline for a speech that connects a theme from this excerpt to your own life. in the first part of the outline, organize an explanation of what king's theme means. in the second part of the outline, organize your explanation of how this theme connects to at least one event from your life. the first and second parts of your outline do not need to be of equal length. throughout the outline, be sure to cite or describe specific evidence from the text or from your personal experiences. also, organize ideas appropriately, develop your argument with relevant information, and provide a concluding section. (15 points)