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Civil Disobedience: The Mexican-American War

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Civil Disobedience Henry David Thoreau was a philosopher, journalist, and most known as poet. He was born on July 12, 1817, in Concord, Massachusetts. He started writing nature poetry in the 1840’s. In 1845 he wrote Walden during his two year stay at Walden Pond. He was most known for his beliefs in transcendentalism and civil disobedience, and was a dedicated abolitionist. In Civil Disobedience Thoreau agrees with the motto, “That government is best which governs least." He continues to say that government rarely proves to be helpful or useful to the citizens. It is so corrupted that that it doesn’t have the will of the people in mind. “Witness the present Mexican war, the work of comparatively a few individuals using the standing government as their tool.” The Mexican-American War illustrates his ideas perfectly. The American people kept the country free, settled the west, and educated its people. The government doesn’t achieve any of these achievements. …show more content…

“Unjust laws exist; shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?” Thoreau says that you should not participate in such evils. This would include not being a part of a corrupted government or institution. He says that the United States is a perfect example of an unjust government. Thoreau believes this because of the United States support of slavery and aggressive war approach. Thoreau has ideas on how to reform from within the

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Mr. Thoreau argues that people should not allow any government to control or atrophy their thoughts or beliefs. Mr. Thoreau was an also remained a devoted abolitionist and has written

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He objected the injustices of war and slavery, and practiced civil disobedience in his daily life. In the time of Thoreau writing Civil Disobedience, many people believed revolution against the government had not been necessary since the time of the American Revolution. However, Thoreau believes that resisting an abusive government is especially important at this point in time considering that, "a sixth of the population of a nation which has undertaken to be the refuge of liberty are slaves, and a whole country is unjustly overrun and conquered by a foreign army, and subjected to military law." According to Thoreau, it is the duty of American citizens to promptly revolutionize against slavery and the Mexican-American War, which have both been supported by the corrupted American

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In contrast, Thoreau begins his essay by criticizing the government system, and he believed that government is ineffective because of the stringent and barbarous laws. And he indicates his point when he mentions, “that government is best which governs not at all.” Thoreau implies that he is frustrated with the government system and he believes laws are no longer effective because they misused their power and appeared

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There are a couple of thoughts from Thoreau 's words; first, they are fascinated by the way he perceived how the administration was ruled. From his point of view, he saw himself as the villain and he was administered by the force of men and it was not in the slightest degree controlled in a common manner. Additionally, Thoreau was against the government, and he needed individuals to perceive how the legislature is brimming with force, but not in a persuasive manner. …” They who have been bred in the school of politics fail now and always to face the facts.

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Henry David Thoreau, the son of a Concord pencil-maker, graduated from Harvard in 1837. He worked a short while as a schoolmaster, but then began writing poetry. He soon joined a religious, philosophical, and literary movement called Transcendentalism. The leader of the movement was Ralph Waldo Emerson, a writer and lecturer. At first, Thoreau agreed with Emerson’s teaching that social reform begins with the individual.

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Government systems are set in place to provide leadership and sustainability for citizens in times of need. The way in which citizen’s view the government depends; on the action taken by the government to make fair laws. They aren’t met to make unjust laws in order to suit themselves. Henry David Thoreau was a citizen of Massachusetts and saw how the government made unjust laws. Thoreau believes civil disobedience is the only way to fight back against the government.

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According to some investigation I made it indicated that Thoreau-inspired leaders for generations. They all believed in civil disobedience; not a form of passive protest. However, I found some information that said that he was against slavery and that he participated in the Transcontinental Railroad. Thoreau lived for a time at Walden Pond where he wanted to have a simpler type of life

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Henry David Thoreau was an American author, poet, natural philosopher, and a leading figure in the Transcendentalist movement. One of his many contributions to American culture was his popular book Walden. Walden was based on his experiences in the woods on Walden Pond in Massachusetts where he lived a simple life with nature for nearly two years. In the book he explored the ideas about how a person should live, being consciously aware of his or her own nature and the natural world itself. However, Thoreau 's other contribution to American culture is his famous essay Civil Disobedience which later ended up inspiring world leaders such as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.

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When Thoreau states in his opening line “that government is best which governs not at all” it sounds like the motto of the modern day Republican Party. Someone who refuses to pay taxes because of the actions of the government. For Thoreau it was the Mexican-American War and slavery. Today, it could be a Republican not wanting to pay taxes because the government will waste it on Obamacare or some welfare program. What is ironic is that Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” for much of the 19th century was ignored.

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In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau questions, “must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience, then? I think we should be men first, and subjects afterward”, indicating that man should take more focus on standing up for what is right instead of conforming to what the majority is thinking or what people are being told to think by the government (Thoreau). Thoreau explains that every man has a conscience for a reason, all men are able to generate an opinion on what is right and what is wrong and that men should in a sense “man up” and fight instead of backing down to become slaves to the legislative government. Thoreau gives an example of his non-conformity in Civil Disobedience when he writes about how he stood up against the government by withholding money to pay his taxes.

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The transcendental movement took place during the early nineteenth century. This movement was especially centered around American literature, politics, philosophy, and art. The principle belief in the transcendental movement was that each author, poet, or artist could “transcend” ayond the physical and into a broader mindset of spirituality, awareness, and independence. Transcendentalists, in this sense, could see into themselves and perceive their attachment to nature.

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Henry David Thoreau declares that “disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves.” This quote describes that people do not receive the opportunity to select options when one obeys another. Thoreau is a man who constructed the ideal philosophy of civil disobedience, which soon inspired others. Thoreau was shunned by society as a Harvard man since he forsaken society’s expectations.

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He also supported his view with the law of natural, moral law, and other religious theologies. For example, he strengthened his view by quoting the Confucius master : “ if a state is governed by the principle of reason, poverty and misery are subjects of shame; if a state is not governed by the reason, riches and honors are the subjects of shame.” So instead of God-centered justice that Martin Luther defined, Thoreau’s interpretation of justice is more focus on individual and conscience. He believed that justice exists in the absence of government, where King’s justice exist after the government changes their legislation. He believes justice is to follow your conscience and reason, where king’s justice is to get equal

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Thoreau mentions his frustration forward government since he feels as though he has to abide by certain rules and regulations that he does not agree with. Utilizing Emerson influence Thoreau stood his ground by ignoring a bill that everyone is expected to pay. “I have paid no poll tax for six years. I was put to jail once on this account”.(Thoreau 214). Thoreau staying true to himself stood behind his belief and was willing to accept the responsibility.

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Henry David Thoreau was an author, poet, abolitionist and historian. Since he was an abolitionist, he stood up for what was right: slavery against African Americans. One example of his stand against social injustice is a quote he said. He stated, “If the machine of government is of such nature that it requires you to be an agent of injustice to another, then I say, break the law.” This quote means that if the government says someone has to be unfair to another, then they should not listen to them because it goes against moral ethics and that it’s not ethical to do such an action to another individual, even if the government requires someone to do

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