Civil disobedience, the refusal to obey certain laws, is a method of protest famously articulated by philosopher and writer Henry David Thoreau in his 1849 essay Civil Disobedience. Thoreau believed that protest became a moral obligation when laws collided with conscience. Since then, civil disobedience has been employed as a form of rebellion around the world. But is there a place for civil disobedience in democratic societies? When is civil disobedience justifiable? Is violence ever called for? Furthermore, how effective is civil disobedience? Full-Color Photographs, Bibliography, Detailed Table of Contents, Further Information Section, Index, Primary Sources, Websites.

Civil disobedience has successfully been used many times in the past / New World Encyclopedia editors -- Philosophers and activists have long debated the use and morality of civil disobedience / Donald M. Borchert -- Civil disobedience is a threat to our society / Morris L. Leibman -- Civil disobedience is a Christian act / Duane Heffelbower -- Christians must use civil disobedience against our nuclear security state / Jim Douglass -- Environmental activists have a legal obligation to use civil disobedience /Jeremy Brecher -- Students must find ways to take non-violent action against climate change / Harvard University Center for the Environment -- The time is now to use mass action to stop crimes against the environment / Kara Moses -- Pro-life activists can and should use civil disobedience against abortion / Francis J. Beckwith -- Civil disobedience must be used according to Martin Luther King Jr.'s principles / John Dear -- Civil disobedience plays an important role in democracy / Kayla Starr -- Civil disobedience will always be necessary, but we must keep it relevant / Philip Wright -- War tax resistance works against unjust wars / David Gross -- Resisting war tax is as necessary today as it was in colonial America / War Resisters League -- Online activists can be treated as criminals under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act / Christie Thompson -- Hacktivism will become an important tool in future civil disobedience / Gavin Mueller.