Civil Disobedience

by Henry David Thoreau

Overview

Originally published in 1849 as "Resistance to Civil Government," Thoreau's classic essay on resistance to the laws and acts of government that he considered unjust was largely ignored until the Twentieth Century when Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and anti-Vietnam War activists applied Thoreau's principles.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781557094179
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	09/01/2000
Series:	Books of American Wisdom
Pages:	36
Product dimensions:	4.25(w) x 6.75(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

American author, naturalist, philosopher, and leading transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) is best known for his book Walden and his essay Civil Disobedience. His lasting contributions to American literature focus on natural history, self-sufficient living, and individuality.

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