What is civil disobedience? A the protection of persecuted minority groups B the purposeful breaking of an unjust law in a peaceful manner C a method of protest developed by Dr. King D the creation of tension with segregationists

## Step 1<br />Civil disobedience is a term that refers to the act of deliberately breaking an unjust law in a peaceful manner. This concept is rooted in the belief that individuals have a moral obligation to disobey certain laws, demands, orders or commands of a government or occupying power that they believe to be unjust.<br /><br />## Step 2<br />The term "civil disobedience" was coined by Henry David Thoreau, an American essayist, poet, and philosopher, in his 1849 essay "Civil Disobedience". Thoreau argued that individuals should not permit governments to overrule their consciences and that they have a duty to avoid allowing their personal actions to enable the government to make them agents of injustice.<br /><br />## Step 3<br />Civil disobedience has been used as a method of protest in various movements, including the American Civil Rights Movement led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. However, it is not exclusive to Dr. King or any particular movement or individual.<br /><br />## Step 4<br />The options A, C, and D, while related to civil disobedience in a broader sense, do not accurately define the term. Option A, "the protection of persecuted minority groups", is a potential outcome or goal of civil disobedience but not its definition. Option C, "a method of protest developed by Dr. King", is a specific application of civil disobedience but does not encompass its broader definition. Option D, "the creation of tension with segregationists", is also a potential outcome of civil disobedience but does not define the term itself.