‘A Call to Resist Illegitimate Authority’ – Co-authored by Dr. Spock (1967) 

Read A Call to Resist Illegitimate Authority co-authored by Dr. Spock (1967) 

NOTE: This document was written in 1967, signed by more than 20,000 individuals, and published in several public venues including The New York Times Review of Books and The Nation. The act of signing the “call to resist” was a misdemeanor and those who signed risked criminal prosecution. The “call to resist illegitimate authority” was used as state’s evidence against several anti-war activists, including Benjamin Spock, Mitchell Goodman and William Sloan Coffin. For historic accuracy the gender-exclusive language originally used in the document remains. The language of subsequent “Calls” reflect RESIST’s commitment to gender equality.