Even a cursory reading of Henry David Thoreau's immortal essay about
civil disobedience reveals echoes in contemporary discussions of
individual rights and the limits of government in a free society. Its
themes resonate into the 21st century. Faced with a federal government
that condoned the institution of slavery and was waging a war of
questionable origin in Mexico, Thoreau pushed his readers to consider
the responsibility of an individual with conscience. This edition
includes "The definition of a peaceable revolution," an introductory
essay by Warren Bluhm.