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The phrase and the concept were popularized by [[Henry David Thoreau]]'s famous essay, ''Civil Disobedience.''

The phrase and the concept were popularized by [[Henry David Thoreau]]'s famous essay, ''Civil Disobedience.''

The concept of civil disobedience became a cornerstone of the American [[civil rights movement]] in the 1960s, as [[African American]]s openly but [[peace]]fully defied [[segregation]] laws.

In the 1960s, it was common for defenders of those [[African American]]s who openly defied the law to appeal to the concept of civil disobedience. The [[Bible]] commands civil disobedience when obedience to the state would require disobedience to God, as in Daniel 6, where [[Daniel (prophet)|Daniel]] refuses to obey the king's order to worship the king instead of God.  Needless to say, the African Americans who were breaking the law in the 1960s were not demanding the right to worship God; they were breaking the law for other, nefarious, purposes, and then seeking post hoc scriptural justifications for their lawlessness.  The Bible commands that rulers be obeyed in circumstances other than those of Daniel 6.  See, e.g., Romans 13:1; Peter 2:13.  

 

While the [[Bible]] commands that rulers be obeyed in most circumstances (Romans 13, 1 Peter 2:13), it also commands civil disobedience when obedience to the state would require disobedience to God. For instance, in Daniel 6, [[Daniel (prophet)|Daniel]] refuses to obey the king's order to worship only the king.

===Ideas of Henry Thoreau===

===Ideas of Henry Thoreau===