Name: ____________________________________

Pd: _______

Date: ___________________

Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau

Civil Disobedience in 2017: Due Tuesday, January 17th 2017
In Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau argues that people have a moral obligation to disrupt injustice and
oppose unjust laws and rules. Thoreaus writings have inspired the work of political activists from Mahatma Gandhi to
Martin Luther King. Thoreau has inspired thousands to create social progress by committing acts of civil disobedience.
Weve already analyzed two historical examples of civil disobedience, now you will propose an act of civil
disobedience relevant to 2017. You will write a short (at least 1 strong paragraph), persuasive piece encouraging the
reader to participate in an act of civil disobedience. The act can be big or small, it can challenge a formal law or rule, or
simply draw attention to an unfair or unjust circumstance. It just has to protest or disrupt a social problem or injustice.

Structure:
Topic sentence that states your issue and plan of action.
Clearly explains the problem or injustice youre addressing (REMEMBER: civil
disobedience doesnt mean protesting something you dont like--you need to convince your reader that
its unfair or unjust)
You may do additional research to make your argument.
Explain your proposed act of civil disobedience, why it is justified, and how it would
affect the problem youre addressing.

Conventions:
Formal Academic Voice (eg. no use of I, me, my, you, your, etc.)
Instead of You should disobey try Concerned citizens must
disobey
At least one quote from Civil Disobedience (properly cited, eg. (Thoreau, 3). at end
of sentence)

Potential Topics:
College tuition costs
Climate change
Defunding of Planned
Parenthood
Defunding of public schools
Electoral College reform
Flint Michigan water crisis
The gender pay gap
Gentrification
Gun violence / gun control
Police brutality
Tenant rights
The refugee crisis
Stop and frisk
Any other issue youre
passionate about!
You may research existing acts of protest and
civil disobedience and persuade your reader to
participate.
For 100 examples of civil disobedience, check
out: https://civildisobedience100.wordpress.com/

Helpful Questions
1. What policy or law are you protesting and why?
2. How are you choosing to passively resist? What
are your methods?
3. Are you alone in the act or part of an organization?
4. What could be (or are) the consequences of your
action, both positive and negative?
5. How do others, including family and peers, view
the act you are committing?
6. What are your motivations for committing the act?
7. What is achieved by the act? Do you receive
publicity, recognition or notoriety? Will you be successful
in bringing attention to the issue?

1
Unsatisfactory

2
Approaching
Standards

3
Meets Standards

4
Exceeds Standards

Topic Sentence
4 points

Student does not use a

topic sentence

Either the topic or the

proposed act of civil
disobedience is confusing
or missing.

Student partially explains

their topic and act of civil
disobedience.

Student briefly but clearly

explains their topic and
proposed act of civil
disobedience.

Background on Topic
8 points

Topic is unclear

Student gives a clear

explanation of the topic,
but does not demonstrate
its unfairness/injustice

Student gives a clear

explanation of the topic
and convincingly
demonstrates its
unfairness/injustice.

Student gives a clear

explanation of the topic
and convincingly
demonstrates its
unfairness/injustice, citing
an outside source.

Plan for Civil

Disobedience
4 points

Student does not present a

plan

Student gives a partial plan

for an act of civil
disobedience. Explanation
is confusing or incomplete

Student gives a clear plan

for an act of civil
disobedience, but doesnt
explain why it would be
effective.

Student gives a clear plan

for an act of civil
disobedience. Student
explains why their protest
would be effective at
creating change.

Use of Evidence
8 points

Student does not quote

Thoreau.

Students quote from

Thoreau does not
contribute to their piece

Student cites a relevant

quote from Thoreau, but
introduction or analysis
are incomplete or
confusing.

Student cites a relevant

passage from Thoreau.
Quote is introduced with
context. Quote is analyzed
to prove students claim.

Spelling, Grammar and

Conventions
4 points

Sloppy or careless errors

make text difficult to
understand.

Numerous errors interfere

with readers ability to
understand the text. Use
of non-academic voice (I,
you, me, etc.)

Some errors, but text is

clearly understandable.
Student uses mostly
academic voice (very few
instancesI, you, me,
etc.).

Few to no errors. Student

uses academic voice (no
I, you, me, etc.). All
quotes are correctly cited
using parenthetical
citations.

Sample Response:
In protest of the society-wide gender pay gap, women across the United States should participate in a coordinated
work walk-out. In 2015, a study by the Institute for Womens Policy Research found that, on average, women in made
only 80% of the salary earned by equally qualified men in comparable jobs (IWPR, 2015). The report cited labor
segregation (jobs perceived as women-only earning less than jobs perceived as men-only), and sexist hiring and
promotion practices (men being perceived as more qualified than equally-qualified women) as key causes of the gender
pay gap. These factors contribute to higher rates of poverty among working women, especially single mothers (IWPR,
2015). Some advocate for women to continue the slow climb toward equality, more women are now earning college
degrees than men, yet still the gender pay gap is not closing (IWPR, 2015). In Civil Disobedience, Henry David
Thoreau said that these gradual methods take too much time and a mans life will be gone (Thoreau, 3). Women cannot
simply continue to do equal work for less pay while living in poverty. To raise awareness of this pay gap and to
demonstrate the essential work that women do throughout the country, women should stage a walk-out after completing
80% of a days work. This act of civil disobedience would disrupt the final 20% of the work day, symbolizing the
importance of the work of women do for free, when they are paid only 80% of the salary of equally qualified men, and
would press employers to provide equal pay for equal work.
Pay Equity and Discrimination. Institute for Womens Policy Research,
http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/pay-equity-and-discrimination. Accessed 7 January 2017.
Thoreau, Henry David. Civil Disobedience. 1849.