Do We Have A Duty To Resist?

History shows that mere dissatisfaction with the government is not enough—and that we can prevent a government collapse through our own constitutional and ethical conduct.

Allan J. Feifer | August 5, 2026

(Note: This essay is not a call for armed resistance. Instead, it examines historical situations that justify such resistance, as well as the non-violent values and actions conservatives can immediately use to prevent the need for armed resistance from arising.)

Throughout history, free societies have wrestled with an uncomfortable question: Is there ever a time when citizens have a moral duty to resist their own government? The question matters because America is not immune from decline. We are retreating, overtaken by what increasingly resembles a cult, one built around the destructive moral impulses Gad Saad describes in Suicidal Empathy.

Not only are the barbarians and lunatics at the gate; many now seemingly seek their “leadership.”

Rigor, reason, and resolve can only take us so far. There comes a moment when simply talking about our problems isn’t enough, and our best thinking virtues can no longer ensure our survival. As a society, we preach one thing and practice another when it comes to applying force to defend essential virtues.

Resistance should not be defined as dissatisfaction with elections, taxes, policies, or political opponents. A free society depends upon vigorous disagreement, constitutional processes, and the peaceful transfer of political power. Neither is resistance the refusal to obey laws simply because one believes them to be unjust or disagrees with those charged with enforcing them; we are beginning to see both.

In a constitutional republic, lawful remedies must be exhausted before the moral question of resistance can even arise. Not every unpopular law is tyranny, and not every political defeat is oppression. The threshold for legitimate resistance is intentionally set extraordinarily high because violence to reassert our constitutional........

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