High School

Will you comply with the draft law, find a way to legally avoid it, or openly defy the law?

Answer :

Choosing to comply with, legally avoid, or defy the draft law involves moral and legal considerations, with historical examples showing a trend of civil disobedience against unjust laws. Figures like Martin Luther King Jr. and Saint Augustine advocate for obeying just laws and resisting unjust ones.

The question of whether to comply with the draft law, find a way to legally avoid it, or openly defy it, involves a complex evaluation of moral and legal principles. Through history, people have faced similar dilemmas, especially during times like the Vietnam War. Some individuals, viewing the draft as an unjust law, chose to openly resist by burning their draft cards or moving to Canada.

According to historical perspectives, there are both just and unjust laws. Just laws align with moral principles and should be obeyed, while unjust laws should be challenged. Civil disobedience, as advocated by figures like Saint Augustine and later Martin Luther King Jr., suggests that one has a moral responsibility to disobey unjust laws.

Examples of resistance can be seen with the Fugitive-Slave Law, where citizens took conscientious stands against the mistreatment of individuals, often accepting the consequences of their defiance to highlight the law's immorality. In the case of the Vietnam War, President Jimmy Carter eventually pardoned draft dodgers in recognition of the moral complexities involved.