Civil Disobedience

What acts of passive resistance have you witnessed in your life? Did they work? If not, what do you think are the best ways to effect change in your community and end injustice in the government?

Thoreau’s argument concerns the injustice of the Mexican-American War and slavery. While few would argue that slavery is ever justified, what might Thoreau say about the US Civil War, a war largely fought to abolish slavery? Is such a war justified? Does it limit the power of his argument that a war, and not passive resistance, led to the elimination of slavery?

How is the jail experience Thoreau describes in “Civil Obedience” similar to the modern prison experience as seen in popular culture or as read about in other texts? Would Thoreau make the same argument about prison today that he did in 1848?

In the past decade there have been massive protests around the world to change corrupt governments in the Middle East, South Korea, and parts of Eastern Europe. In the United States there have also been Black Lives Matter protests to draw attention to systemic racism. Are these protests acts of civil disobedience or something else? What would Thoreau say about organized protests? Use the text to support your argument.

Over the past century and a half, the size of the US government has grown, as have the number of government programs offered to US citizens. Conversely, the government has also created more programs and methods to monitor and punish its citizens. Would it be harder to disentangle from society now than in Thoreau’s day? Does that strengthen or weaken his argument?