First published in 1849, Henry David Thoreau’s frank essay “Resistance to Civil Government” has inspired countless writers, thinkers, and doers from Gandhi to Tolstoy to Alice Paul. With his message of resistance to a state that enforces unjust laws, Thoreau places an individual’s conscience above their duty as a citizen or as a subject of the government.
Thoreau’s night in jail resulted in a series of talks delivered at Concord’s Lyceum in 1848, shortly after his return to society from his famous residence at Walden Pond. Henry was arrested for his refusal to pay the poll tax. He was loath to pay an imperialist government that upheld the evil of slavery. Thoreau answers the question, “What does one do with their Rage at the Machine?” with a passion and a clarity that make it seem almost simple. He would have a person be a wrench thrown into the cogs and gears of an unjust government. Anything short of open defiance, for Thoreau, is ineffectual and vain.
This “library” edition is limited to fifteen copies. Each measures 8 X 5.75 inches and is covered in heavy “night shift” blue cover weight stock and red cloth, with a simple label. Inside, I used pigmented Canon ink on premium white paper. I have not been able to find a similar edition of this essay, and I’ve been wanting to make one for a long time. Archival paste/adhesive and linen thread ensure this volume’s safety on your shelf until the government Thoreau wants comes into power.
First published in 1849, Henry David Thoreau’s frank essay “Resistance to Civil Government” has inspired countless writers, thinkers, and doers from Gandhi to Tolstoy to Alice Paul. With his message of resistance to a state that enforces unjust laws, Thoreau places an individual’s conscience above their duty as a citizen or as a subject of the government.
Thoreau’s night in jail resulted in a series of talks delivered at Concord’s Lyceum in 1848, shortly after his return to society from his famous residence at Walden Pond. Henry was arrested for his refusal to pay the poll tax. He was loath to pay an imperialist government that upheld the evil of slavery. Thoreau answers the question, “What does one do with their Rage at the Machine?” with a passion and a clarity that make it seem almost simple. He would have a person be a wrench thrown into the cogs and gears of an unjust government. Anything short of open defiance, for Thoreau, is ineffectual and vain.
This “library” edition is limited to fifteen copies. Each measures 8 X 5.75 inches and is covered in heavy “night shift” blue cover weight stock and red cloth, with a simple label. Inside, I used pigmented Canon ink on premium white paper. I have not been able to find a similar edition of this essay, and I’ve been wanting to make one for a long time. Archival paste/adhesive and linen thread ensure this volume’s safety on your shelf until the government Thoreau wants comes into power.
