Is this a simile? sweeps across the country/ like a traveling circus

How does the allusion to the boston tea party reinforce king’s argument about civil disobedience? by citing an example of civil disobedience by everyday people, king shows that civil disobedience can be necessary and productive. by using an example of civil disobedience that took place in the past, king shows that civil disobedience is no longer necessary. by using an example of civil disobedience that took place in the north, king shows that the southern states have not used civil disobedience effectively. by using an example of a “massive act of civil disobedience,” king shows that the demonstrations in alabama are not as large and disruptive as his critics think.