Civil Disobedience

Civil Disobedience is a short essay in which Thoreau explains why an individual should follow conscience rather than simply obey the state. It grew from his night in jail after refusing to pay a poll tax, as a protest against slavery and the war with Mexico. He argues that government is at best a useful convenience, and that good people must not lend themselves to injustice. The essay is brief and direct, and it later inspired many movements for peaceful resistance and social change.