Civil Disobedience and the abolitionists

movement By: Will Goodson

What is the abolitionists movement?

• The Abolitionist Movement lasted from the 1830’s until the 1870’s and they wanted the emancipation of all slaves. There was also a desire to end racial discrimination as well as segregation.

Underground railroad• -One way civil disobedience is connected to the

Abolitionists movement was through the Underground Railroad. Slaves running away and anyone helping them was breaking the law, but slaves would run away and the abolitionist would provide food, shelter, and clothing for them. Evan though it was illegal, the abolitionists felt that slavery was wrong and so they acted on what they felt was right and took action against slavery.

John Brown• A more extreme example of the abolitionists taking

action and helping the slaves is when John Brown and his followers would lead attacks on slave owners. They were very violent and the slaves would often help with the attacks. Eventually John Brown had enough followers to form a small “Army.” Evan though it wasn’t a peaceful disagreement or protest some people would argue that it is “Civil Disobedience” because he saw that slavery was wrong and did something about it. Henry Thoreau did not like violence and thought that peaceful resistance was almost always the best choice, however Thoreau supported John brown.

Henry Thoreau• Another example of civil disobedience is when Henry

Thoreau refused to pay poll tax to support what he called a “Slave’s Government”. As a result of him not paying he was sent to jail. This experience inspired Thoreau to write his famous essay on civil disobedience. Civil Disobedience is basically just non violent resistance, particularly resisting ones government.

Civil Disobedience And the civil rights

movementBy: Maceio Moore

Desecrating little rockNine black students tried to attend Central High school, in Little Rock, Arkansas, but Governor Orval Faubus stopped them. It wasn’t until President Dwight D. Eisenhower order Faubus to allow the children to go to school. They were bullied, talked badly about and treated bad, but never fought back. This is a sign of civil disobedience because they did not use violence, or talk back to the people who talked bad about them.

Woolworth sit-in• Ezell A. Blair, Jr., David Richmond,

Joseph McNeil, and Franklin McCain from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical College performed a sit-in at Woolworth’s store, in Greensboro, North Carolina, on February 1, 1960. They did this to protest why there money was good at other parts of the store but not at the lunch counter.

• This is a sign of Civil disobedience because they performed a peaceful sit-in, only to show how unfair it was for there money to not be taken at the lunch counter

Freedom ride, 1961• Freedom rides were journeys by civil

rights activist, black and white, on interstate buses trying to test the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court case, Boynton v. Virginia, (1960) 364 U.S., that ended segregation on interstate travel. They started in Washington, D.C. on May 4, 1961 and was scheduled to end on May 17 in New Orleans.

• These people were trying to test if the United States would follow through with the law they passed. This peaceful ride was an act of civil disobedience because they just wanted the government to do their part in protecting the peoples rights and doing the right thing as a person.