Civil Disobedience & Today

• Introduction
• Task
• Process
• Evaluation
• Conclusion
• Credits


• Teacher Page

Task

During this webquest, please consider these questions:

• What does civil disobedience look like?
  
• What kind of civil disobedience is present in today’s 21^st 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?
  

Do you agree with this quote? Did Thoreau practice this?

The 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. You will then compare this to Thoreau's experience with civil disobedience, and formulate an argument which will be posted to the class blog. Next, you will perform research on a modern activist group, and delineate their main arguments, and determine if they are successful in their work. Lastly, you will create your own activist group, and write a persuasive essay in the style of Thoreau.