For almost as long as telephones have been a common feature in homes and offices, telecommunication companies have regularly been faced with a situation where demand in a particular street or area exceeds the number of physical copper pairs available from the pole to the exchange.
This incident prompted Thoreau to write his famous essay, âCivil Disobedienceâ (originally published in 1849 as âResistance to Civil Governmentâ). Thoreauâs minor act of defiance caused him to conclude that it was not enough to be simply against slavery and the war. A person of conscience had to act.
By not paying his taxes, Thoreau explained, he was refusing his allegiance to the government. âIn fact,â he wrote, âI quietly declare war with the State....â. Unlike some later advocates of civil disobedience like Martin Luther King, Thoreau did not rule out using violence against an unjust government. In 1859, Thoreau defended John Brownâs bloody attack on the federal arsenal at Harperâs Ferry, Virginia, during his failed attempt to spark a slave revolt.