“
The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right
.” In this way, Thoreau thinks that majority rule is bad because it is based on brute force and that the only obligation that he, and all people, have the right to assume is the right do follow their own conscience.
How does Thoreau feel about majority rule What does he prefer and why?
Thoreau feels that majority
rule is incompatible with the rule of indvidual conscience
. He writes: … He urged abolitionists in his home state of Massachusetts to withdraw their support of the state rather than wait until they had a majority of people on their side voting against slavery.
What is Thoreau’s issue with majority rule?
According to Thoreau, what is the basis of majority rule? He contends that majority rule is
not based on justice or fairness but rather on nothing more than the fact that the majority is physically stronger than the minority
.
What about majority rule does Thoreau have a problem with what is the only obligation he feels he must commit to?
Explain what Thoreau thinks is wrong with majority rule. What does he say is the only obligation he has a right to assume? …
He thinks that he has the obligation to only do what he believes is right
. Thoreau says a man does not have a duty to eradicate wrong, but he does have the duty “to wash his hands of it.
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 is Thoreau’s problem with voting?
Thoreau did not think very highly of voting in general or individuals who expressed their opinions by casting votes. He thought
that voting was too much like gambling
: risky and uncertain. He said that many people have opinions that seem strong. However, he thought that people often did not do enough…
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 is the main source of greatness in a person?
Terms in this set (15) What is the main source of greatness in a person, according to Emerson?
Your individuality, yourself
.
What does Thoreau say is the only obligation he has a right to assume?
According to Thoreau, what should be respected more than the law? “Must the citizen ever for a moment… resign his conscience to the legislator?” “The only obligation which I have a right to assume
is to do at any time what I think is right.
”
What does Thoreau suggest is worse than disobeying an unjust law?
He disagreed with other American people who believed
the majority should change the law first
because it is a worse thing to disobey the law than to do what an unjust law says to do. Thoreau wrote that breaking the unjust laws is better: “Break the law. … However, Thoreau did not think people should be criminals.
What are Thoreau’s beliefs?
Thoreau emphasized
self-reliance, individuality, and anti-materialism and sharply questioned
the basic assumptions of the way men lived. Transcendentalism proved to be the intellectual force that charged Thoreau’s imagination to write about the possibilities of an ideal existence for man.
What is Thoreau’s ideal government?
Thoreau believed that the best possible government was
one that interfered with the lives of its people as little as possible
, and only when completely necessary.
What is once well done is done forever?
For it matters not how small the beginning may seem to be: what is once well done is done forever.
Thoreau
believed that individuals could be free only if their actions were true to their own beliefs, with or without the support or approval of the community, or of friends and family.
Why did Henry 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.
Which best describes one way in which Civil Disobedience impacted people and events later in history quizlet?
Which best describes one way in which “Civil Disobedience” impacted people and events later in history?
It fortified the beliefs of those who thought the government acted unfairly.
What is Thoreau’s last thought about the state before he loses respect for it?
In “Civil Disobedience”, Thoreau
thinks the state can’t tell its friends from its enemies
. That is his last thought about the state before he loses respect for it.
