I don't think we're going to ford any new ground here, but hiding Jews from Nazis was illegal, harboring runaway slaves was illegal, lunch counter sit ins were illegal.
The movie Ben Hur illustrates the (ironically) Roman concept of "Mallum Prohibitum" (evil ONLY because the law exists against it) versus "Mallum In Se" (evil in and of itself). This scene shows Jesus of Nazareth breaking the law by defying an order from a Roman Centurion.
"You're right, of course, border crossing is a crime, and leaving water was a crime. I never said it wasn't illegal, I only said it shouldn't be.
President Reagan and Joni Mitchell said it better.
"To a few of us here today this is a solemn and most momentous occasion, and yet in the history of our nation it is a commonplace occurrence. The orderly transfer of authority as called for in the Constitution routinely takes place, as it has for almost two centuries, and few of us stop to think how unique we really are. In the eyes of many in the world, this every-4-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle". -
