Resistance to Civil Government
Under what circumstances would you be willing to go to jail for a moral or political principle? Alternatively, explain why you wouldn't be willing to commit civil disobedience under any circumstances. Do you agree with Thoreau's decision to go to jail instead of paying his poll tax? (A poll tax, by the way, is tax on each voter.)
posted by Kristin L | 10:15 AM
8 Comments:
Oh my god, Jacob!
I would not go to jail for any reason, who would? But when I know that the law is wrong and something doesn't click as to why I should go, like Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr who were doing "crime" but were fighting for a cause and belief then heck yeah! I wouldn't commit civil disobedience especially under the roof of my mother for then I'll be toast if anything led me to prison.:) Thoreau's decison is uncertain to me because I don't vote yet but it really bites to have to pay a tax, sounds fishy.
In terms of Thoreau I understand his decision and respect it. I think that I would probably do the same. It is our right to vote and for the government to charge for that right is unacceptable. For something to push me to take jail over doing something I do not believe in, I would have to feel very strongly about it. I think there are definitely many things that would push me over the edge, but I do not think any of them would happen to me. Our government has done a great job of being just and erradicating the unjust, such as the poll tax. Jail would not stop me from expressing my views. And Jacob you are sucking up too much, it's pathetic.
So, what- almost everyone has said they'd go to jail for a reasonable cause? But it's not as easy as it sounds. Have any of you ever tried to stand up to someone- a bully, a teacher, a principle? It's hard enough as it is, now imagine standing up against the entire United States government! Is that not fifteen times harder? Abolitionists were surely discriminated against the same way that African-americans were during the civil rights movement.
Not only would the government against you, but what if everyone around you was also against you? What if your best friends wouldn't even support you? Could you still withstand the enormous pressures that would persecute you? It's easy to say we would stand up for a good cause, but it's not as easy to actually do.
"... if one honest man, in this State of Massachusetts, ceasing to hold slaves, were actually to withdraw from this copartnership, and be locked up in the county jail therefor, it would be the abolition of slavery in America. For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be: What is once well done is done forever." (P. 251)
Also- earlier today in class we were talking about life being meaningless because nothing we accomplish can prevent us from dying someday. Yet, I don't believe that life is completely useless. Obviously, becoming extrememly smart won't benefit anyone except yourself. But if you can find, for example, the cure for cancer, the whole purpose of your existence was to save millions of lives in the future, who in turn could do something else amazing for society. Like the quote, anything done right will endure the test of time, and through helping the future generations and reaching new heights, our lifes gain meaning.
sorry it's so long!!
I agree with everyone especially Cayleigh. I would like to say that I would stand up for what I believe in because I like showing others that I'm strong in my morals. However, at this point in my life, I do not feel like I have enough knowledge to be willing to go to jail for what I believe in. If something however, is really important to me, than, like my parents have always told me, I will stand up for what I believe in, though it may not be in a way that would land me behind bars.
Sorry this is so very late and no one gets to read it!
Anyway...
Jail. Only for something real. Jail is no light punishment, however if it helps me to advance a cause or justify how much I support that cause than I am all for some time spent in a cell. Going to jail seems more of a personal decision than something affecting the great majority of the universe, therefore putting oneself in a position where jail is eminent is an act of one's own will rather than the pressure of others, because unless you are publically known, jail only affects one person and that is whoever has been jailed.
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As many people have already stated before me, and Rob depicted quite well with the story about Nathan's uncle, I would personally be willing to go to jail and farther in the criminal justice system, for something that I was truly passionate about. In this world, all we really have is ourselves; our lives, our minds, and our moral convictions. If we don't believe in ourselves and stand by what we think is right, we are reducing ourselves to nothing. Thoreau believed that since voting was a constitutional right that he deserved to be able to do so without having to pay the government for that right. And I think that he did the right thing. I mean really, isn't that what our country is, the country of freedom? Shouldn't we have that freedom that everyone says we have? I agree with his decision and I respect that he had the courage to deal with the punishments for his actions. And Jacob is a sicophant. And he's trying too hard to do so. Someone needs to stop him.
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