1955
Rosa Parks - When Principles Meet Consequences
Rosa Parks knew exactly what would happen when she refused to give up her bus seat.
Arrest, jail time, death threats, job loss, harassment. She did it anyway because her principles
demanded action, not just belief. She owned the consequences - all of them.
Real accountability means accepting the price of your principles.
Parks didn't just believe in equality; she paid for it with her comfort and safety.
1961
Robert McNamara - When Smart People Do Terrible Things
Defense Secretary Robert McNamara helped escalate the Vietnam War despite private doubts about winability.
Decades later, he admitted the war was wrong and based on false premises. But by then, 58,000 Americans
and millions of Vietnamese were dead. Good intentions don't excuse harmful results.
McNamara's late admission shows both the importance and the insufficiency of acknowledgment.
Accountability requires courage in the moment, not just regret afterward.
1986
Morton Thiokol Engineers - Speaking Truth to Power
Engineers at Morton Thiokol knew the Challenger's O-rings would fail in cold weather.
They recommended postponing the launch. NASA pressured them to reverse their recommendation.
Some engineers stood firm and were overruled. Others caved to pressure. Seven astronauts died.
Professional expertise creates moral obligations.
When you know better, silence becomes complicity. The engineers who fought for safety
carried no blame for the tragedy - those who stayed silent carried some.