Henry David Thoreau 
On the Duty of Civil Disobedience 

In "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" (1849), philosopher Henry David Thoreau argues that citizens must disobey the rule of law if those laws prove to be unjust. He draws on his own experiences and explains why he refused to pay taxes in protest of slavery and the Mexican War. According to Thoreau this becomes a model for civil disobedience.