~ 1849 ~
Resistance to Civil Government, also known as Civil Disobedience, is an essay written by American transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau. Published in 1849, Thoreau argues that individuals should not permit governments to overrule or atrophy their consciences and have a duty to resist allowing such acquiescence to enable the government to make them the agents of injustice. Thoreau was influenced by Christian anarchist ideals, and he believed that the government is primarily an agent of corruption and injustice. His essay also had a profound impact on influential leaders like Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr., who were inspired by Thoreau's arguments about nonviolent resistance.