Have you ever been in a situation where you were stuck in between what is morally acceptable and what is legally correct? Henry David Thoreau is a timeless symbol of an individualist who peacefully does what he thinks is right even if the laws state otherwise. Thoreau teaches and wants his readers to act on what is morally correct, take responsibility for an action, and to resist unjust laws. Thoreau was a man of morals, typically doing what he thought was right rather than obeying the laws. A huge focal point in the essay are the poll taxes. He absolutely did not and would not pay his poll taxes. Similarly, his poll taxes had not been paid in six years. Thoreau does has some interesting reasoning behind why he refused to pay the tax. First, he believed the money was going to fund the Mexican war. Although, “not completely against war”, he believed the war was illegal due to congress failing to “ok” the war (Thoreau). When the mexican war was won, America gained states like california, arizona, and new mexico. These …show more content…
Once commanded to pay for a new clergyman at the church, Thoreau had had enough. The men told him “Pay or be thrown in jail” (Thoreau). He did not attend the church, although his father did. Thoreau never went to mass or listened to the clergyman so he could not understand why he was lawfully being forced to pay for a service irrelevant to him. So, He did not pay. Thoreau was basically a volunteer school master. He thought “no one has ever donated to me” (Thoreau). He believed a donation to the church was outrageous since he worked for free. Thoreau was totally and completely against slavery. Previously stated, he refused to pay his poll taxes due to the belief of war funding and the increase of slavery if that war was won. Thoreau also illegally helped slaves get to the north. “I do not wish to quarell with any man or nation”