On the Duty of Civil Disobedience

First published in 1849, this essay argues that individuals have rights and duties in relation to their government. Motivated by his disgust over both slavery and the Mexican-American War, Thoreau argued that individuals must not permit nor enable their government to act against their own consciences. This version of On the Duty of Civil Disobedience was recorded as part of Dreamscape's Walden and On the Duty of Civil Disobedience.