The opening of Civil Disobedience borrows a motto that government is best which governs least, then pushes it further than most readers expect. Students often react strongly, which makes it a rich prompt for argument writing. It also makes it a prompt where evidence quality varies enormously.

The first thing to decide as a grader is what counts as evidence. In a Thoreau argument essay, students can draw on the text itself, on historical events, on current examples, and on personal experience. Each has a place, but they are not equal, and your rubric should say how you weigh them.

Textual evidence anchors the essay in what Thoreau actually claims. Without it, students argue with a version of Thoreau that exists only in their heads. A minimum expectation, such as two accurate quotations from the essay, keeps the argument honest.

Outside evidence, whether a historical example or a recent news story, shows that the student can apply the idea. It is valuable, but only when it is specific. A phrase like "in modern times, governments do bad things" is not evidence at all.

What strong evidence looks like

Strong evidence is specific, accurate, and clearly tied to the claim it supports. It also earns its place by doing something the argument needs. Teach students to ask of every example what it proves and what it fails to prove.

• Names a specific event, law, or decision rather than gesturing at government in general
• Explains why the example supports the claim instead of assuming the connection is obvious
• Balances textual evidence from Thoreau with at least one outside example
• Avoids overreaching, for instance treating one case as proof of a universal rule
• Cites sources or context clearly enough that a reader could look the example up

Common evidence problems in these essays

Several weaknesses show up repeatedly. Students cite examples they half remember from a history class and get details wrong. They also lean on emotional appeals in place of reasoning, which can make an essay feel persuasive without actually being so.

A useful grading habit is to mark each piece of evidence in the margin with a single letter: T for text, H for history, C for current events, P for personal. When you finish the essay, you can see at a glance whether the balance is healthy. It also gives you something concrete to point to in feedback.

Fairness when students disagree with you

Arguments about the size and role of government tend to reflect students' politics, and graders are not immune to having views of their own. Anchor your scoring in the evidence rubric, not in your reaction to the conclusion. If an essay uses strong, accurate evidence for a position you dislike, it should score well.

Some teachers double-check by scoring a few essays without looking at the thesis. An AI first pass against a rubric provides a similar check, because it evaluates evidence quality without reacting to the politics. You can then compare its comments with your own and see where you diverged.

Teaching evidence use before the essay

Do a class warm-up in which students evaluate three sample evidence sentences for the same claim. Ask them to rank the sentences from weakest to strongest and defend their ranking. That discussion teaches more about evidence than a lecture.

Then have them revise the weakest sentence into a stronger one. When drafts arrive, you will see the difference, and your feedback can focus on refinement instead of basics.