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Thoreau's View Of Civil Disobedience

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“Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau, was written in 1846 because he was enraged about being put in jail over not paying his taxes. Thoreau did not support the southern government and slavery therefore he did not feel as if he should pay taxes. He did not agree with the war with Mexico and he felt as if it would only give southern states more power and more southern “slave” states. In jail alone and having time to think, Henry David Thoreau, wrote this essay on his experiences and beliefs. Henry David Thoreau believes in a small government, and a government that governs less, is better than one that governs more, as stated in line 1 of the first paragraph. He, after being thrown in jail, believes that a government that does not govern at all, is better that one that governs a small amount. In the eyes of Thoreau the best government, is the type that does not govern at all. As stated in lines 3-4 of the first paragraph. He believes that some people use the government as a tool, such as gaining more land like what was done in the Mexican-American War. The US government and especially of the south …show more content…

He did not pay taxes because he did not support the Mexican-American war and for that reason he got thrown in jail. He states that the government should not have the power to throw someone in jail for refusing to do something that goes against his moral values. In paragraph 8 line 1, Thoreau Explains that any man has the right, under the constitution, to refuse/resist the government. If there is a law going against someone's values, he believes it is their right to be able to have ‘civil disobedience’. Civil Disobedience should be a right to anyone as an act of resisting the government. He believes that the government is there to protect us and our government but when we do not do what they ask they come take us and our property away according to

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Thoreau used powerful speech in his essay about the act of civil disobedience, which he himself had done. Publication was not Thoreau’s only approach in his urge for change. Thoreau targeted the legislative system through his refused to pay taxes. He believed that if because he does not support the ideas of the government then he must not pay the taxes. This non-violent resistance to obey taxation brought about the attention of the government.

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Throughout the writing of “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau often referred back to his idea that he supported which was “That government is best which governs not at all.” (Thoreau) In the passage, Thoreau believed that the government does not have a conscience. He talked about not wanting to pay the government poll tax, which in result, caused him to be thrown into jail. A poll tax is just a tax on a person for existing, therefore, everyone had to pay the same amount regardless of the value of their possessions.

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He stays true to his own opinions against the United States involvement in the Mexican-American War and his value of individualism enables him to put that belief into action through civil disobedience, despite it being a daring and unheard-of act that went against the prevailing views of his community. Although others such as Emerson and Sam urge him to pay the tax and go along with the societal norm, he refuses to comply with a requirement that went against his viewpoint. Thoreau regards the action of “going along” with extreme distaste, comparing it to “ only breathing in and never breathing out! A man can suffocate on courtesy” (13). Exercising what he saw to be the unalienable right, or even obligation, of the individual to develop original thought and determine right or wrong according to their true self, he maintains his own stance even if it meant being arrested and imprisoned.

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Thoreau’s essay focuses on his belief that the individual has the right and the duty to protest unjust laws or an unjust government. He even spent the night in jail because he refused to pay the poll tax in order to protest the Mexican American War. Thoreau’s night in jail was the inspiration for his reasoning that “There will never be a really free and enlightened State, until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are deviated, and treats him accordingly.” (Thoreau 1872). He believed in the power of the individual as an essential part of the State and that “a single man can bend [the government] to his will.”

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Resistance to Civil Government (Civil Disobedience) is a dissertation written by American abolitionist, author and philosopher Henry David Thoreau published by Elizabeth Peabody in the Aesthetic Papers in 1849. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was born and lived almost his life in Concord, Massachusetts. After finishing public and private school in Concord he attended the prestige Harvard University. He excelled at Harvard despite leaving school for several months due to health and financial setbacks. Mr. Thoreau graduated in the top half of his class in 1837.

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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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A government’s improvement revolves solely around recognizing the rights of men: “There will never be a really free and enlightened State until the State comes to recognize the individual as a higher and independent power, from which all its own power and authority are derived, and treats him accordingly” (Thoreau, 1847/1998, p. 146). The people form the government. A

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For example, he boldly states that “If the machine of government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law.” This supports Thoreau’s claim because if the government makes a law that forces you to be an agent of injustice, then you have the right to break it. In addition, Thoreau believes that the best government, is the one that does not make a lot of laws. " That government is best which governs least." A government should not dictate to the citizens, but enforce whatever is agreed among the society.

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Thoreau proposes civil disobedience in the form of not paying your taxes, which stops the funding of these heinous acts committed by our government. We are forced to pay FICA so as to have a safety net towards the end of our lives and if you don’t the government will cease your assets. We are forced to pay car insurance from handful of companies or else be penalized. If you do not have health insurance the government will take a cut of all your total earnings. Reason why we do not fight it is because we do not want to get jailed, penalized or taxed.

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The concept of civil disobedience, as defined by Henry David Thoreau in his essay "Resistance to Civil Government," has become an increasingly controversial topic in modern society. In this essay, Thoreau argues that individuals have a moral obligation to resist laws that are unjust or unreasonable, even if it means breaking the law and facing consequences such as imprisonment. This idea has been embraced by many activists and protestors who claim that people should protest laws that are unfair or unreasonable. However, there is also a counterargument that suggests that protesting laws is not the most effective way to bring about change, and that individuals should instead work within the system to bring about reform. Thoreau's argument for civil disobedience is rooted in the belief that individuals have a higher moral obligation to themselves and their conscience than to the laws of the state.

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