Student Response
Ruth Mensah
I agree with the classmate’s post in that we, as American citizens, have the duty to disobey unjust laws. This is because Americans, as the owners of the country, have the right to dictate the trajectory that they would want their government to take. Since most Americans do not want their country to become one that promotes divisions and injustices, the only option is to ensure that they take on the moral responsibility to speak up and disobey unjust laws. It is similar to when Thoreau notes that he failed to pay taxes to protest slavery. However, this particular example that Thoreau gives is something that should be implemented with care. Americans should be careful not to break other just laws while disobeying the unjust ones. The most convincing part of the classmate’s discussion is when she says that history has taught Americans that freedom and democracy are values that they have to fight for. This statement took me back to all the injustices in America and brought the realization that if those people involved did not speak up, then America would be a messed up country today.