Civil Disobedience – HDT

I love this work. The more time I spend in the government, the more it seems to cheat me out of its promises and glory that it instilled in my head as a younger man. I feel more and more like HDT every day.

Big contradiciton between the two titles this essay is known by, “Resistance to Civil Government” and “Civil Disobedience”.
-Is there any true place in the entire essay that advocates peaceful and effective means to resisting the government and the evil things they do? (Other than not paying one poll tax?) I don't think there really is. I think that people like MLK Jr. and Ghandi took from this work what they needed and used it for themselves.

It is interesting to contrast the then and now of the political spectrum that HDT fought for and the fact that what he was then is considered the exact opposite of what it is today.

“If the injustice is part of the necessary friction of the machine of government, let it go, let it go: perchance it will wear smooth, ---certainly the machine will wear out. If the injustice has a spring, or a pulley, or a rope, or a crank, exclusively for itself, then perhaps you may consider whether the remedy will not be worse than the evil; but if it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law.”

“Witness the present [Iraq] war, the work of comparatively a few individuals using the standing government which they have.”

What makes this more than just a simple hissy fit because he spent a night in jail?
He is proud of the experience he has received to be able to speak the things he speaks, it was the kick in the pants he needed to put these words on page that influenced some of the most famous rebels of our time. He is simply a person who speaks eloquently about the things he feels cheated on,

He pulls on the thoughts and ideas of many great thinkers.... Christ, Confucius..... even using Copernicus and Luther (265), with some almost verbatim quotes from Emerson..... to make his essay a legitimate, much needed part of our American history.

He knows that everyone that read this is not going to up and go against the state, he knows that it is a hard thing to do when you have no way of coming back from the decision of resistance that you have made. You can see this on 268 because he knows that you can't do it if you aren't willing to give it all for the purpose.

I believe he knew that this would affect the thoughts of many to come. He knew this was something worthy of fame, I really do.