On the Duty of Civil Disobedience

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

71

Title

On the Duty of Civil Disobedience

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Henry David Thoreau's seminal essay challenges the moral legitimacy of unjust laws and the American government's support of slavery and the Mexican War. With a tone of urgent moral conviction, Thoreau argues that individuals must resist tyranny through civil disobedience, prioritizing conscience over expediency. This timeless work invites readers to examine their own complicity in injustice and consider the profound responsibility of the individual citizen.

Summary up to 500 words

In 'On the Duty of Civil Disobedience,' originally titled 'Resistance to Civil Government,' Henry David Thoreau presents a radical argument for individual moral autonomy against state authority. Published in 1849, the essay was a response to the Mexican War and the institution of slavery, though Thoreau addresses universal principles of justice applicable to any era. Thoreau asserts that government is merely an expedient tool, not a divine right, and that it often fails to further human enterprise or education. He contends that a government in which the majority rules in all cases cannot be based on justice, as majorities often decide based on strength rather than conscience. Consequently, citizens must not resign their conscience to the legislator. Thoreau famously declares, 'I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward.' He argues that the only obligation a man has is to do at any time what he thinks right. When a law requires an individual to be an agent of injustice to another, Thoreau insists one must break the law. He uses the metaphor of friction: if injustice is merely a minor friction in the machine of government, it might be tolerated, but if it requires the citizen to be the direct agent of injustice, the law must be broken. Thoreau recounts his own experience of refusing to pay a poll tax to support the Mexican War and slavery, leading to a night in jail. He describes the prison not as a place of confinement but as a place where he felt most free, realizing the walls were a waste of stone compared to the moral walls of slavery and war. He criticizes the 'mass of men' who serve the state as machines, lacking moral sense, and contrasts them with the few who serve with their consciences. Thoreau also critiques the act of voting, describing it as a form of gaming where the voter is not vitally concerned with the outcome, and argues that true reform requires more than a vote; it requires active, personal resistance. He concludes that the proper place for a just man under an unjust government is in prison, as it is the only honorable ground for a free man in a slave-state. The essay serves as a call to action for individuals to withdraw their support from unjust institutions and to live in accordance with their own moral law.

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Categories

• Philosophy
• Politics