Duty and Loyalty

"The concept of civil disobedience has evolved over a long period of time. Ideas drawn from different periods of history and from different cultures have contributed to its evolution. The idea that there is a law that transcends the laws of the state is found in Socrates (c. 470–399 B.C.E.), in some of the classical Greek tragedies, and in the Indian concept of dharma (duty). In these traditions, should the higher law and the laws of the state come into conflict, the individual had the obligation to disobey the laws of the state. In the Middle Ages, St. Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) defended the natural-law view that unjust laws did not bind the citizen in conscience. John Locke (1632–1704) taught that the government derived its authority from the people, that one of the purposes of the government was the protection of the natural rights of the people, and that the people had the right to alter the government should it fail to discharge its fundamental duties."
citation: Civil Disobedience - The History Of The Concept
In the unit “Duty and Loyalty”, students will read a variety of literature revolving around this theme. Students will analyze the similarities and differences in the writings (author's style, voice, syntax, diction, logic) and development of the theme, “duty and loyalty”. Furthermore, students will make the thematic connection to modern issues.