TIL: "Resistance to Civil Government", also…

TIL: "Resistance to Civil Government", also known as "Civil Disobedience", is an essay written by American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau in 1849.

In the essay, Thoreau argues that individuals should not permit governments to overrule or atrophy their consciences, and that they have a duty to avoid allowing such acquiescence to enable the government to make them the agents of injustice. He was motivated in part by his disgust with slavery and the Mexican–American War.

Thoreau asserts that because governments are typically more harmful than helpful, they cannot be justified by majority opinion, or the consent of the governed. He contends that people's first obligation is to do what they believe is right and not to follow the law dictated by the majority. When a government is unjust, people should refuse to follow the law and distance themselves from the government in general.

Thoreau’s doctrine of civil disobedience influenced numerous worldwide figures including Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr., and many others. It continues to inspire and inform protests and civil resistance to unjust laws.