Question

The Underground Railroad by Levi Coffin 1850 (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. What is the duty of a citizen? When something, morally questionable or even morally wrong, is sanctioned and even actively supported by the government, where does the duty of the citizen lie? Does the citizen oppose the government outright and thereby jeopardize his livelihood and his family’s welfare, or does the good citizen obey the government? Is the answer somewhere in between?

Answer 1

Levi Coffin grew with a strong sense of sympathy for the slaves and he opposed the institution of slavery and helped lots of slaves escape. He was called the president of the underground. He along with few more abolitionists planned escape routes for the slaves. He defied the threats of the government and other slave owners because he believed in God and the teachings of gospel. One cannot support all the activities of the government even after knowing that some would end up as not useful but harmful to the citizens. Today, we have the freedom of speech and using this we could voice our concerns through many media. Some people do not care about themselves or their family. They just do and speak when something done by the government is not right. As a citizen of a country, one should have the freedom and courage to speak even against the government and as a government that works for the welfare of the people, it should also listen to its citizens and consider those suggestions and criticisms positively.