Volume 1, Number 2

1996 Indiana University - The Center for Adolescent Studies

The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail

This multi-faceted activity examines the idea of civil disobedience and the notion of personal responsibility vs. government control. Students of all abilities, in grades 10-12, enjoy the readings and learn a lot from the projects.

The readings include The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, a play by Jerome Lawrence, an excerpt from Annie Dillard's The Pilgrim of Tinker Creek, and a newspaper article about a local political activist. Students also read the essay "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" and selections from Walden, both by Henry David Thoreau. The students learn Thoreau's views on: education, conformity, the war with Mexico, slavery, the duty of a citizen, nature and the environment; what the Walden experiment was, and why he went there. They also reflect on the readings, write in journals, and share their insights with classmates.

Over two nights, students read the play and then discuss it during class. During the next few days, students read the related articles and excerpts. Then, they explain the connections between these works and those of Thoreau, in a paper.

The major assignment for this unit is a collaborative effort in which small groups of students prepare scripts for a trial of Thoreau. Each script must include roles for the prosecutor, the defense attorney, the judge, Thoreau, and the witnesses. The remaining class members serve as the jury. Students hand in the script and then perform a play, based on the script. Historical accuracy and oral presentation skills serve as the basis for student s evaluations.

In creating the script, students select one of three cases against Thoreau:

1. Thoreau has been arrested and charged by the State of Massachusetts for tax evasion. The state accuses him of failing to pay his poll tax.
2. Thoreau has been arrested and charged with violation of the Fugitive Slave Law in the Henry Williams Case. Thoreau is accused of aiding and abetting Williams, in the slave's attempted escape to Canada.
3. Thoreau, school master in the Concord Public Schools is charged with insubordination and violating the constitutional separation of church and state by permitting his students to discuss theological questions in his classes. The Concord Board of Education seeks Mr. Thoreau's dismissal.

Students like The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail because the issue of civil disobedience is relevant to them. Also, in "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" students like Thoreau's display of compassion toward his cellmate and the assertive style of Emerson's wife when she tells Emerson, in the student s own words, "Take a chill pill and get real." This activity gives students a sense of this historical period and shows them how the pressing issues that existed then, still exist today.

Pat Wilson and Joanne Frye team-teach an interdisciplinary block of U.S. history, health, and literature at Bloomington High School North, Bloomington, IN

This document was last updated 7/5/97 by Chandra Hawley.
Copyright1996 Indiana University - Center for Adolescent Studies, all rights reserved.
Kris Bosworth - Director
ay cost about $100. It may require thirty volts of electricity and the students must watch while the instructor performs the experiment. The procedure above is an inexpensive way to show the process. The equipment costs about $1.35, and the students get to do the work!

Jack Young, Chemistry teacher, Columbus East High School, Columbus, IN

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This multi-faceted activity examines the idea of civil disobedience and the notion of personal responsibility vs. government control. Students of all abilities, in grades 10-12, enjoy the readings and learn a lot from the projects.

The readings include The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, a play by Jerome Lawrence, an excerpt from Annie Dillard's The Pilgrim of Tinker Creek, and a newspaper article about a local political activist. Students also read the essay "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" and selections from Walden, both by Henry David Thoreau. The students learn Thoreau's views on: education, conformity, the war with Mexico, slavery, the duty of a citizen, nature and the environment; what the Walden experiment was, and why he went there. They also reflect on the readings, write in journals, and share their insights with classmates.

Over two nights, students read the play and then discuss it during class. During the next few days, students read the related articles and excerpts. Then, they explain the connections between these works and those of Thoreau, in a paper.

The major assignment for this unit is a collaborative effort in which small groups of students prepare scripts for a trial of Thoreau. Each script must include roles for the prosecutor, the defense attorney, the judge, Thoreau, and the witnesses. The remaining class members serve as the jury. Students hand in the script and then perform a play, based on the script. Historical accuracy and oral presentation skills serve as the basis for student s evaluations.

In creating the script, students select one of three cases against Thoreau:

1. Thoreau has been arrested and charged by the State of Massachusetts for tax evasion. The state accuses him of failing to pay hi s poll tax.
2. Thoreau has been arrested and charged with violation of the Fugitive Slave Law in the Henry Williams Case. Thoreau is accused of aiding and abetting Williams, in the slave's attempted escape to Canada.
3. Thoreau, school master in the Concord Public Schools is charged with insubordination and violating the constitutional separation of church and state by permitting his students to discuss theological questions in his classes. The Concord Board of Education seeks Mr. Thoreau's dismissal.

Students like The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail because the issue of civil disobedience is relevant to them. Also, in "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" students like Thoreau's display of compassion toward his cellmate and the assertive style of Emerson's wife when she tells Emerson, in the student s own words, "Take a chill pill and get real." This activity gives students a sense of this historical period and shows them how the pressing issues that existed then, still exist today.

Pat Wilson and Joanne Frye team-teach an interdisciplinary block of U.S. history, health, and literature at Bloomington High School North, Bloomington, IN

Return to the top of the page.

This document was last updated 6/1/97 by Chandra Hawley.
Copyright1996 Indiana University - Center for Adolescent Studies, all rights reserved.
Kris Bosworth - Director
the class identifies the common ones. A committee of students goes through the lists and tries to find themes which connect the questions. Eventually, the students vote on them and pick the first theme (i.e. the environment or conflict).

Another committee is formed to find the original questions which fit under this theme "environment". Later the class works together to brainstorm for activities to answer their questions. The students then go through a process of deciding on activities, re-identifying questions they have (or changing them), and actually planning out the activities. Students find this very engaging. After an activity, we go back to the initial questions and ask, "How are we doing?"

The entire school day is not devoted to this at first, as it would be too much, so we do work on other things. The point is students are involved in a process where classroom learning is student-directed and democratic. We also allow for re-evaluating of the questions, themes, and activities.

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