1. Henry David Thoreau

2.  1.Think of groups who have been discriminated against throughout history. a)Why do some people obey laws without asking if the laws are just or unjust? 2.What does the term “civil disobedience” mean to you? Can you think of any examples of civil disobedience? Consider

3.   Only unlawful non-violent protests are considered civil disobedience.  Violent actions are not civil disobedience, even when fighting against unjust or immoral laws  Public protests intended to serve broad public interest, not individual self interest Civil Disobedience

4.  Non-violent Movements  Indian Independence  Civil Rights  Anti-Vietnam War  Occupy Wall Street

5.  Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862  Essayist, poet, Transcendentalist  Went to Harvard  Went to chapel in a green coat “because the rules required black”  Wrote Walden and “Civil Disobedience”  Refused to pay his poll tax  Lived on Emerson’s property near Walden Pond for two years.

6.   Thoreau questions the government’s right to :  Tell him what to do  Tax him, especially when the taxes were for policies with which he disagreed  In 1846 Thoreau put his beliefs into action by refusing to pay his poll taxes  For this passive resistance, Thoreau spent one night in jail Civil Disobedience

7.   What is transcendentalism?  The belief that divinity is not only a supernatural occurrence that is impossible to behold, but that it is obtainable through our nature and our own intuition. Each individual must turn inward to discover what they see as truths in the world because society is corrupt.  “Every truth is not quite true.” – Emerson Transcendentalism

8.   Self-wisdom  Transcendentalism is based on the belief that human beings have self-wisdom and may gain this wisdom by tuning in to the ebb and flow of nature.  Nature and its meaning  They believed nature had a direct relationship to the soul.  Social reform  Regarding social issues, transcendentalists were considered visionaries in their attitudes toward such issues as social protest, elimination of slavery, women’s rights, creative and participatory education for children, and labor reform. Transcendentalism Themes