Re:When is civil disobedience justified? (Score 2, Interesting)

standing on a boat and throwing bales of tea into a harbor

You might find this book interesting ("I Love Paul Revere, Whether He Rode Or Not" by Shenkman and Harding). It debunks a number of myths in American history, among them the one about how the Boston Tea Party was some patriotic act of defiance.

If I recall correctly, a group of American tea makers got pissed off when the British lowered taxes on imported tea, so they went and pitched a bunch of it overboard to protect their own financial prospects. They tried to throw the blame for the incident on Native Americans by dressing in costume when they went.

Even if I totally buggered up my recollection of facts in the book, it's still a great read.