The most famous line from the Ephebic Oath is “I shall not leave my city any less but rather greater than I found it.” However, the Ephebic Oath also states, “I…shall resist anyone who destroys the laws or disobeys them.”
In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote the following: “An individual who breaks a law that conscience tells him is unjust, and who willingly accepts the penalty of imprisonment in order to arouse the conscience of the community over its injustice, is in reality expressing the highest respect for the law.”
Considering Dr. King’s statement, should Townsend Harris students swear to “resist anyone who…disobeys [the law]”?
Develop and support a perspective on the above question. Use the two resources below to help you develop your response.
The Resources:
Resource 1: “The Rebellion has begun” by Greta Thunberg (you can also access at https://tinyurl.com/thhsresource1)
Resource 2: “Rule of Law” a video produced by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts (you can also access at https://tinyurl.com/thhsresource2)