In “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau not only calls for resistance to immoral and unjust government actions, he also criticizes
the foundations of representative democracy — majority rule, voting, and representation
.
What does Thoreau say about government control in civil disobedience?
Thoreau begins Civil Disobedience by saying that he agrees with the motto, “
That government is best which governs least.
” Indeed, he says, men will someday be able to have a government that does not govern at all. As it is, government rarely proves useful or efficient.
What topic is Henry David Thoreau’s Resistance to Civil Government primarily about?
Here topic is Henry David Thoreau’s “Resistance to Civil Government” primarily about
the government and its role in an individuals life
. On the other hand it provides you best and effective solution to move forward with no risk.
What is Thoreau’s biggest complaint in civil disobedience?
The two major issues being debated in the United States during Thoreau’s life were
slavery and the Mexican-American War
. Both issues play a prominent part in Thoreau’s essay.
What does Thoreau call for at once in his Resistance to Civil Government?
The Texas Politics Project
“… I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government. Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect, and that will be one step toward obtaining it.”
What did Thoreau believe?
Thoreau’s attitude toward reform involved his
transcendental
efforts to live a spiritually meaningful life in nature. As a transcendentalist, Thoreau believed that reality existed only in the spiritual world, and the solution to people’s problems was the free development of emotions (“Transcendentalism”).
What is the main idea of civil disobedience?
Civil disobedience, also called passive resistance, the refusal to obey the demands or commands of a government or occupying power, without resorting to violence or active measures of opposition; its usual purpose is
to force concessions from the government or occupying power
.
How does Thoreau justify the moral need for Civil Disobedience?
Thoreau argued that
the government must end its unjust actions to earn the right to collect taxes from its citizens
. As long as the government commits unjust actions, he continued, conscientious individuals must choose whether to pay their taxes or to refuse to pay them and defy the government.
Why does Thoreau compare the government to a machine?
Thoreau compares the government, or “state,” to a machine
to highlight how the government can cause individuals to ignore their own conscience and become complicit in immoral acts
. They become part of a machine that “produces” slavery and warfare.
Why did Thoreau write Civil Disobedience?
Thoreau wrote Civil Disobedience
to justify not paying his taxes, for which he was put in jail
. He refused to pay his taxes to protest two injustices he believed were perpetrated by the United States government: slavery and the war against Mexico.
What are the two main claims of civil disobedience?
Thoreau argues that there are two laws:
the laws of men and the higher laws of God and humanity
. If the laws of men are unjust, then one has every right to disobey them.
What is Thoreau’s solution?
Thoreau’s solution to
reform the government develops the idea of the relationship between the individual and the state
, by suggesting that people are not bound to obey the government. If a government allows injustice, the individual can and should resist it.
What does Thoreau consider the most effective way of expressing his displeasure with the government?
Thoreau considers
civil disobedience
one of the most effective ways of expressing his displeasure with the government. Civil disobedience, as the name suggests, is the active disregard and breaking of a government rule when a private citizen believes it is unnecessary or even against society’s best interests.
What type of government does Thoreau want?
How does Thoreau define the best possible kind of government? Thoreau envisions the best kind of government as on that does not govern. He supports
laissez-faire (free enterprise, free trade, noninterfering)
.
How does Thoreau use ethos in Resistance to Civil Government?
In “Resistance to Civil Government,” Henry David Thoreau uses ethos in
order to help his audience gain trust in him
. By using ethos in this rhetorical situation, Thoreau is attempting to inspire trust in his readers and establish his own credibility.
How does Thoreau criticize democracy?
In “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau not only calls for resistance to immoral and unjust government actions, he also criticizes the foundations of representative democracy —
majority rule, voting, and representation
.
