Civil Disobedience

Initially published in 1849 as Resistance to Civil Government, Thoreau's classic essay on resistance to the laws and acts of government that he considered unjust was largely ignored until the Twentieth Century, when Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and anti-Vietnam War activists applied Thoreau's principles.

Civil Disobedience is a foundational text in political philosophy, presenting Henry David Thoreau's compelling argument for the primacy of individual conscience over governmental authority. Originally published as an essay in 1849, this work examines the moral obligation to resist unjust laws through peaceful non-compliance. Thoreau's articulate defense of principled resistance has profoundly influenced movements for social change worldwide, from Gandhi's independence campaign to the Civil Rights Movement. Essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the philosophical underpinnings of nonviolent protest and the relationship between personal ethics and civic duty.