Civil Disobedience

by Henry David Thoreau

Overview

"If we were left solely to the wordy wit of legislators in Congress for our guidance, uncorrected by the seasonable experience and the effectual complaints of the people, America would not long retain her rank among the nations."

-Henry David Thoreau, Civil Disobedience (1849)

Civil Disobedience (1849) was originally delivered as impassioned lectures denouncing government, especially with respect to slavery and the Mexican-American War. Abolitionist Thoreau exhorts people to take action against the government, which he deems corrupt and unjust. Proponents of nonviolence such as Martin Luther King, Jr., Mahatma Gandhi, and Leo Tolstoy credit Thoreau's essay as influential in their work. Civil Disobedience remains significant in today's society with quotes like "The mass of men live lives of quiet desperation" and "A minority is powerless while it conforms to the majority."

This timeless classic is a must read for anyone passionate about change in politics or government.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781646794652
Publisher:	Cosimo Classics
Publication date:	01/01/1900
Pages:	36
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.09(d)

About the Author

HENRY DAVID THOREAU (1817-1862), writer and philosopher, was born in Concord, Massachusetts, and educated at Harvard University. His writings on human nature, materialism, and the natural world rank him among the most influential thinkers of American literature.

Date of Birth:

July 12, 1817

Date of Death:

May 6, 1862

Place of Birth:

Concord, Massachusetts

Place of Death:

Concord, Massachusetts

Education:

Concord Academy, 1828-33); Harvard University, 1837

Table of Contents

Introduction

Civil Disobedience

Appendix A: Thoreau’s Abolitionism Developed

• From Henry David Thoreau, A Plea for Captain John Brown (1860)

Appendix B: Abolitionism

• Henry Highland Garnet, Address to the Slaves of the United States (1865)
  
• Elizabeth Margaret Chandler, Tea-Table Talk (1836)
  
• William Lloyd Garrison, Declaration of Sentiments of the American Anti-Slavery Society (1852)
  
• From William Lloyd Garrison, Declaration of Sentiments Adopted by the Peace Convention, The Liberator (28 Sept. 1838)
  
• William Lloyd Garrison, The American Union (1845)

Appendix C: Sectionalism and the Constitution

• Samuel Hoar, Report on His Mission to Charleston, South Carolina (1845)
  
• From Daniel Webster, Exclusion of Slavery from the Territories, 12 August 1848
  
• From Daniel Webster, Speech at Capon Springs, Virginia, 28 June 1851

Appendix D: War with Mexico

• From Abraham Lincoln, Speech in U.S. House of Representatives on War with Mexico (1848)

Appendix E: Moral and Philosophical Context

• From William Paley, The Duty of Submission to Civil Government Explained (1822)
  
• Ralph Waldo Emerson, Politics (1844)

Editorial Reviews

In this season of political unrest, the arrival of Bob Pepperman Taylor’s teaching edition of Henry David Thoreau’s ‘Civil Disobedience’ couldn’t be better timed … it should be required reading for every person who opines on Thoreau’s essay, whether student, scholar or activist” — Laura Dassow Walls, Early American Literature

“This volume greatly contributes to our ability to understand Thoreau’s essay on civil disobedience as a product of a specific historical context. It is a valuable piece of scholarship on the history of political thought regarding Thoreau’s essay. The introduction is pitched at a level that is appropriate to undergraduates and is written in a very interesting, engaging, and readable style. But given the historically situated analysis of Thoreau’s writing of Civil Disobedience, this volume will also be a valuable resource for established scholars as well. The additional primary texts are thoughtfully selected and relevant, and they help give us a more complete portrait of Thoreau in his time: with these additional readings, we can better grasp the historical context of many of the enigmatic references Thoreau makes in Civil Disobedience.” — Shannon Mariotti, Southwestern University

“A masterful historical contextualization. Bob Pepperman Taylor’s introduction is a model of scholarship and his annotations are consistently illuminating. The supplementary voices, ranging from William Paley to Henry Highland Garnet to Daniel Webster to Ralph Waldo Emerson to Abraham Lincoln, help bring Thoreau to life by setting him in his place and time.” — Jack Turner, University of Washington, editor of A Political Companion to Henry David Thoreau

From the Publisher