Civil Disobedience

Henry David Thoreau was a man of simplicity (McElroy). In his time, he was considered a naturalist, although he proved to be a great philosopher who actually applied his philosophies to his daily life. Thoreau was a philosopher in the rising of the Transcendentalism Era (McElroy). Transcendentalists value intuition and emotion over reason and also put emphasis on looking inward for truth (Dark Romanticism). Many values of Transcendentalism appear throughout the text called "Civil Disobedience".

Thoreau discusses why people follow the government law, even if they think it to be unjust (Thoreau). Slavery was common in Thoreau's time, however, he did not like it. He did not want to contribute to slavery because he thought it was wrong. The problem arose when Thoreau had to pay his taxes. Money from the taxes went towards slavery, which Thoreau was readily against. Because of this, Thoreau did not pay his poll tax. Because of his rebellious act, Thoreau was arrested, only to be released after one night (Thoreau). After being put in jail, Thoreau states,

"Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislator? Why has every man a conscience then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right."

Thoreau raises an excellent point in wondering why do we have a conscience if we do not get to use it? (Thoreau). If we must obey the legislator on every topic, then what is the point of a free country. Men are not men if they have no power to have an opinion or to do what is right. It does not seem just that men must act as dogs and obey the government, even if they believe in a greater cause (Thoreau).

After questioning how can men follow all laws without considering if they are morally correct and how can men follow laws they know are wrong, Thoreau eventually comes to a personal conclusion(Thoreau). Throughout the whole essay, Thoreau struggles with the idea of following laws. It is the politically correct thing to do, but can be the morally incorrect thing to do(Thoreau). When it comes to the government, Thoreau eventually says that if the government

"requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law. Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine (Thoreau)"

He finally comes to the conclusion that you must break the law if it is causing you to be unjust or morally wrong (Thoreau). For Thoreau it was worth it to break the law, to stand up for what he believes in. Not all men have the courage to do that, but Thoreau tells them to be counter friction to stop the "machine". He had previously compared the government to a machine and compared peoples opposing opinions to the government as friction against the machine (Thoreau). Thoreau is a man of high integrity and character, not everyone can be people like that. It takes much inner strength to do so. Thoreau is also innocent (Thoreau). The end of the essay concludes with Thoreau going on a huckleberry party with the children of the town. There, they are looking for huckleberries and Thoreau is away from the government and at peace (Thoreau).

"Thoreau's Civil Disobedience - with Annotated Text." The Thoreau Reader. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. .

"Henry David Thoreau and 'Civil Disobedience' by Wendy McElroy." LewRockwell.com. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. .

"Dark Romanticism - ArticleWorld." Main Page - ArticleWorld. Web. 26 Jan. 2012. .