Ways we work against unjust laws: civil disobedience, malicious compliance, "Do Not Comply in Advance", etc.

In today' world Thoreau reminded me of the many different ways we go against unjust governments and laws; both nonviolent and violent actions hold important roles in this process. We must not comply with these unjust laws in advance (or at all) in order to have a better world, a better life.

"People power" is a phase that came to mind when I read this, as at the end of the day the State is supposed to be run for the people. And unless it is also run by the people there will never be a free and enlightened State like Thoreau says.

Look up Mahmoud Khalil

From Merriam-Webster: refusal to obey governmental demands or commands especially as a nonviolent and usually collective means of forcing concessions from the government

Link: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/civil%20disobedience

There are a variety of meanings that this term has seen over the many decades of its existence. While it began more as a description term due to skin color of the indigenous people, as we know in history this is rooted in racism (to separate people based on the color of their skin). This term is one of the many used by the colonists to refer to the other people of the land such as "savages" and "brutes".

"Colonial governments paid out bounties for scalps of at least 375 Indigenous people across New England between 1675 to 1760" from an article about the history of scalping from the Penobscot Nation in Maine.

Scalping was an encouraged behavior by colonial governments and yet this is not something that is often taught in school, let alone the indiscriminate violence the indigenous people have faced (and still face) since the arrival of colonists.

Article Source: https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/dec/04/penobscots-dont-want-ancestors-scalping-to-be-whit/

"to laugh at or insult contemptuously" From Merriam-Webster

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deride

In 2025 it feels like we're living in a reality closer to those beliefs of early settlers when it comes to the separation of church and state. These foundational aspects of America seem to find their way back to us in the modern day, as we see religion (especially Christianity) seep into our government.

"A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good." From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth

The history of grass and lawns in the US can be traced to colonial roots, as most grasses we see today are not native to the US as all.

Indigenous Sign Language history in what is now the US is very interesting, as the major of tribes had their own sign language and "spoke" it even if they were not deaf/hard of hearing. I recommend researching this if you haven't heard about it!