"I heartily accept the motto,—“That government is best which governs least;” and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe—“That government is best which governs not at all;” and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have. Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient. The objections which have been brought against a standing army, and they are many and weighty, and deserve to prevail, may also at last be brought against a standing government. "
Civil Disobedience (originally titled Resistance to Civil Government) is an essay by American transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau, first published in 1849. It is one of Thoreau’s most influential works, advocating for the moral imperative of individual resistance to unjust government actions. The essay is a call for citizens to prioritize their conscience over the dictates of the state, especially when the government engages in actions that violate moral or ethical principles.
Background: Thoreau wrote Civil Disobedience after spending a night in jail in 1846 for refusing to pay a poll tax, which he saw as a protest against the United States' involvement in the Mexican-American War (1846–1848) and its policies regarding slavery. Thoreau was strongly opposed to both the war and the institution of slavery, which he saw as injustices perpetuated by the government. His brief imprisonment provided the catalyst for his reflections on the nature of government and the duty of individuals to resist unjust laws.
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Categories: World Politics Non-Fiction