Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau

Civil Disobedience is an essay first published in 1849 by Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau was motivated to write Civil Disobedience in part because of his disgust with slavery and the Mexican American War. In Civil Disobedience Thoreau argues that individuals should not permit governments to overrule their consciences.

The essay Civil Disobedience is also referred to as On the Duty of Civil Disobedience as well as Resistance to Civil Government.

Enjoy one of Thoreau's most famous essays today!