Civil Disobedience
E5945
"Civil Disobedience" is an influential 1849 essay by Henry David Thoreau that argues individuals should nonviolently resist unjust government laws and actions based on moral conscience.
Aliases (1)
Statements (48)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
essay
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nonfiction book → political philosophy work → |
| advocates |
nonviolent resistance to unjust government
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|
| alsoKnownAs |
On the Duty of Civil Disobedience
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|
| argues |
individuals should not permit governments to overrule their consciences
→
people have a duty to avoid enabling injustice through obedience → |
| author |
Henry David Thoreau
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|
| countryOfOrigin |
United States
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|
| criticizes |
Mexican–American War
→
slavery in the United States → |
| firstPublishedIn |
Aesthetic Papers
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|
| form |
prose
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|
| genre |
political essay
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transcendentalist literature → |
| hasMottoOrKeyQuote |
That government is best which governs least
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Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison → |
| historicalContext |
written after Thoreau's 1846 night in jail
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|
| impact |
foundational text on civil disobedience
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widely studied in political philosophy → widely taught in American literature courses → |
| includedIn |
various collections of Thoreau's works
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|
| influenced |
Indian independence movement
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Leo Tolstoy → Mahatma Gandhi → Martin Luther King Jr. → civil rights movement → nonviolent resistance theory → |
| inspiredBy |
Thoreau's imprisonment for refusal to pay poll tax
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|
| language |
English
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|
| length |
short essay
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|
| mainSubject |
civil disobedience
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individual conscience → nonviolent resistance → relationship between individual and state → unjust laws → |
| originalTitle |
Resistance to Civil Government
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|
| philosophicalMovement |
Transcendentalism
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|
| philosophicalTheme |
legitimacy of political authority
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moral responsibility of the individual → resistance to injustice → |
| positionOnGovernment |
advocates limited government
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|
| positionOnLaw |
moral law is higher than civil law
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|
| positionOnTaxation |
supports refusal to pay taxes that support injustice
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|
| publicationYear |
1849
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|
| publisherOfFirstEdition |
Elizabeth Peabody
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|
| settingDiscussed |
United States government in the mid-19th century
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|
| targetAudience |
general literate public
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|
Referenced by (4)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Civil Disobedience
("On the Duty of Civil Disobedience")
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|
alsoKnownAs |
|
Transcendentalism
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|
associatedWork |
|
Henry David Thoreau
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|
notableWork |
|
Henry David Thoreau
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|
wrote |