Henry David Thoreau was an American writer, philosopher, and naturalist. He was also a strong believer in individualism. Thoreau's best-known work is that of his book, Walden. In 1865, Thoreau decided to go to jail, rather than support the Mexican War by paying a poll tax. This resistance was later clarified in his essay, Civil Disobedience. .
In Civil Disobedience Thoreau discussed his idea of passive resistance. He contends that people's first obligation is to do what they believe is right and not to follow the law given by the majority. When a government is unfair, people should refuse to follow the law and put themselves away from the government. He believed a person is not obligated to dedicate his life to eliminating evils from the world, but he is obligated not to participate in such evils. Thoreau further argued that the United States fits his criteria for an unjust government, given its support of slavery and its practice of aggressive war.
Thoreau doubted the effectiveness of reform within the government, and he argued that voting and petitioning for change achieved little. He presented his own experiences as a model for how to relate to an unjust government. While in protest of slavery, Thoreau refused to pay taxes and spent a night in jail. He said that one cannot see government for what it is when one is working within it.
In conclusion, Thoreau's essay was extremely powerful. He had a lot of positives that really made you think. He made you realize that you have a right to go against the government if you didn't believe it was doing the right thing. I admire Thoreau for standing up for what he believed in.
