"On Liberty" is a work of political philosophy in the form of a political essay. It's one of many such essays that John Stewart Mill wrote in his lifetime. "On Liberty" reflects Mill's vision of individual liberty and the role of state authority as informed by his actual experiences with the British Empire, from his post at the East India Company to his tenure as an MP in the British Parliament.
Mill's essay avoids becoming a purely theoretical treatise because of this familiarity with the functions of government in two very different contexts: the empire's colonial government in India and Britain's own government back in Westminster. Mill also grounds his case in countless allusions to different governments and social structures throughout history, as well as a broad sweep of relevant political philosophy and literature from classical antiquity up until the time of his writing.
Mill's arguments on the importance of individual liberty for protecting the dignity of human life and enabling social progress and well-being place his essay in a long strain of classical liberal literature that emerged in 18th and 19th centuries. This genre arose partly in response to the social and political upheaval of the American and French Revolutions. It also aligns Mill's work with his previous studies of utilitarianism, or the systemic prioritization of individual well-being for the greatest possible number of people.
