...Henry David Thoreau’s, “Resistance to Civil Government” exhibits the inevitable tension between rights and responsibilities. More specifically, it portrays an example of political obligation and whether one should submit to unfair demands from political authorities. Thoreau was a strong believer in the demands of conscience over the demands of the State and sought to live as an entirely free person in a world that was not absolutely free. Thoreau’s basic community obligation to the State was to pay his tax. However, as an abolitionist he refused to pay his poll tax in July 1846 as part of his protest against what he regarded as the proslavery agenda of the war against Mexico, landing him one night in jail. This experience inspired him to...
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...Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were both born in Massachusetts in the early 19th century. Emerson was born in Boston in 1803 and Thoreau was born in Concord in 1817. Both are writers and proponents of Transcendentalism--the belief that man, by studying nature and examining self, can transcend his humanity and become one with God. Both used literary devices in their works (essays), metaphors and have similar themes. Both Thoreau and Emerson used the theme: trust yourself, know yourself, be yourself; slow down and "simplify, simplify, simplify"; examine nature to find truths about yourself; human ingenuity will always show itself; trust self before government; man is inherently good. These two men believe that nature is what forces us not to depend on others' ideas but to develop our own. Nature is ever changing so we must keep searching for explanations about human life. They feel that nature is the key to knowing all. In Emerson’s “Self-Reliance”, social responsibility is important. Similar to “Self-Reliance”, Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” shares the same philosophical ideas. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay “Self Reliance” and Henry David Thoreau’s essay “Resistance to Civil Government (“Civil Disobedience”), both transcendentalist thinkers speak about being individual and what reforms and changes need to be made in our society Social responsibility is often encouraged and is used to...
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...Do You Hear People Sing? — A Brief Analysis of Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience Abstract: Civil disobedience is the valuable spiritual wealth of American spirits. From Henry David Thoreau to Martin Luther King, civil disobedience theory also had developed into a new stage. American people began to commonly accept and practice the civil disobedience theory, which pushed American Civil Rights Movement forward. This essay focuses on the origination of the civil disobedience and briefly introduces its development. Key Words: Civil disobedience Conscience Government 1、 Thoreau’s Imprisonment The Mexican-American war, which started from 1846, was an armed conflict between the United States and Mexico over the territorial dispute of Texas. Most abolitionists and transcendentalists were against this war, because they thought that this war was an act of a bullying government anxious to grab land from a weaker nation. Some even thought this war was a conspiracy of the southern slaveholders. Then Texas admitted slavery, while Mexico forbade slavery. They regarded this war as the expansion of slavery, which could strengthen the influence of the south in federation. Therefore the abolitionists and transcendentalists did their best to resist this war. Among them, Henry David Thoreau was a famous representative. Thoreau did not agree this aggressive war. To resist, he refused to pay the Massachusetts poll tax, which was a “per head” tax imposed on...
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...Henry David Thoreau, Abolitionist, Transcendentalist, Protester, Individualist, bold, is the most important man who affected our nation today. His actions have inspired so many to do the right thing. His actions have also led him to his choices as an influential writer. Thoreau disobeyed, he disobeyed the government. He refused to pay a poll tax, believing that it supported the Mexican-American war and the expansion of slavery. Because of this, Thoreau was arrested by a sheriff and jailed overnight. But being the Protester he is, Thoreau used his jail time and refusal to pay the poll tax as a way to inspire and raise awareness about the Mexican-American War. After he was released, he wrote an essay called “Resistance to Civil Government”, later titled “Civil Disobedience.” The essay was written about how tyrannical the government’s actions were and how we were to change things. “Civil Disobedience” has been an influence to peaceful protesters around the world, such as Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Without Martin Luther King Jr. our country might still be discriminating and racist. Without Thoreau’s inspiring essay, Martin Luther King Jr.’s protests may not have been as effective and peaceful as they...
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...Social contract theory is the concept of the agreement between a government state and its citizens. The social contract states that because a state nurtures its citizens, it’s their moral obligation to obey its rules in return. The social contract is defined as “an implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits, for example by sacrificing some individual freedom for state protection.” (Oxford). Socrates was a prominent Greek philosopher in 300 BC. He described his version of the social contract in the dialogue, Crito, while debating whether or not he should accept his death sentence. Socrates’ version of the social contract states that one should abide by the laws of the state without exception. If one feels...
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...Lloyd Wyse Melissa Hull EN 209-014 April 18, 2012 Critical Essay: Civil Disobedience Civil disobedience is the active refusal to comply with certain laws or demands of a government, such as paying fines or taxes. Although it is not necessarily on-violent, it has classically been attributed to nonviolent resistance. The etymological origin of the term is from Henry David Thoreau’s essay Resistance to Government, written in 1849, which was eventually renamed to Essay on Civil Disobedience. Since its republication in 1866, Thoreau’s essay has inspired many important activists over the course of history. Its messages have resonated within countless people unsatisfied or disgusted with the law of the land; one of the most prominent lessons it teaches is that an unjust government can only be corrected by the defiance of its people. As long as there is an imperfect government, there will be a need for civil disobedience. Citizens of nations from all over the globe still read and learn from Civil Disobedience because even in modern times a perfect government does not exist. In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau prompts the reader to take direct action against injustice. He argues that the government is a representative of corruption and injustice that, like a machine, fuels the enabling of its wrongdoings through enforcement of law. He states that an individual’s silent compliance with the law is essentially the same as cooperation with injustices that the lawmaker commits. In particular...
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...Transcendentalism became a popular reform movement based upon the individual being the spiritual center of the universe. The social movement has five base themes: nonconformity, self-reliance, free-thought, confidence, and civil disobedience. Two of the central figures of this movement were Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Both men were known for their defiance and free speaking. Their stories, “Self-Reliance” and “Resistance to Civil Government” throughly depicted the transcendental themes of self-reliance and civil disobedience. Along with the two works, the movie Dead Poets Society also has related themes. It is through the main character, Neil Perry’s, nonconformity to his father’s wishes and the teaching of free-thought by his teacher, Mr. Keating, that Dead Poets Society falls in line with the themes of transcendentalism. It is through the...
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...Michael Dalton Humphries Professor Breedlove English 2131 28 September 2011 The Fight against Social Injustices Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther king both stood up and fought against social injustices. Thoreau wrote his essay “Civil Disobedience” to express his views on the role of government. Thoreau also expressed his ideas about what men should do to stand up to a government that sought to suppress its citizens. King started reading Thoreau during his school years and adopted his non-violent ways of protest. He molded his actions around Thoreau’s essay and fought for equal rights for the African American community. Both authors sought peaceful means to protest against things they deemed social injustices. In Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” and King’s “Letters from a Birmingham Jail” they present the problems with current societies and a peaceful way to bring those problems to the forefront. Thoreau and King both show their selflessness when they sacrificed their personal freedom for an issue. Thoreau was thrown in jail for not paying a poll tax. He refused to pay the tax because; he did not support slavery and the Mexican America war. Although Thoreau’s views in “Civil Disobedience” were his own and he was not trying to push them on anyone, they obviously had a profound impact on Martin Luther King. Writer Michael Mink of Investors Business Daily said this about King, “He was fascinated by the idea of refusing to cooperate with...
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...the most reknown transcendentalists include Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. I share a personal connection to the ideal of integrity in that as I grow older, it's crucial to my future self that I establish myself as an individual with personal morals, regardless of the status quo. The concept of integrity being the path to internal success is expressed in both Emerson’s, Self Reliance, and Thoreau’s, Civil Disobedience, although perceived in different forms, the notion of individual thought is evidently the common theme. In...
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...where a media, television and internet are the sources of manipulating a person’s mind. It also creates their mindset to determine how one think about themselves or and different view point on topic. In this particular essay I am going to be talking about two main people who had similar argument about how to be individual and not let government take control over your lives. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were most influential writers of their time. They both had encouraged and practice individualism and nonconformity. In Ralph Waldo Emerson essay “Self Reliance” and Henry David Thoreau essay “Resistance to Civil Government” both spoke about how to become individual and what improvements needed to be made in American society. Emerson’s writings focus more on the self part of humanism and independence from society. On the other hand, Thoreau focused on writing on matters of the self but tended to have more of a political overtone in his argument. They both wanted to attack the dominant religious, political and cultural values of American society in order to make people aware that the individual is more important than the government and society. Thoreau and Emerson tried to incorporate the idea of relying on others to determine the way we dress, think and speak. An individual must think for themself in to order to achieve their inner self. If one can follows his dream, he will truly be able to live his life with full happiness and joy. He will truly understand...
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...Thesis Statement: Henry David Thoreau is one of the pioneers of Transcendentalism, and his famous work, Civil Disobedience has great effect on Mahatma Gandhi’s ideology and movement which drives the India for independence. Outline 1. Introduction 1. Brief introduction of Henry David Thoreau 2. Brief introduction of Mahatma Gandhi 2. Writing background and cores of Civil Disobedience 2.1 Writing background 2.2 Cores of Civil Disobedience 2.2.1 Conscience of human 2.2.2 Effect of morality 2.2.3 Suspicion of American’s democracy 2.3.4 In-cooperation with government 3. Embodiment on Mahatma Gandhi 3.1 Effect on Gandhi’s ideology 3.1.1 Works of Gandhi 3.1.2 Speeches of Gandhi 3.2 Effect on Gandhi’s movement 3.2.1 Gandhi in South Africa 3.2.2 Gandhi in India 4. Conclusion 1. Introduction 1.1 Brief introduction of Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau was one of the most famous writers, naturalist, philosophers, abolitionists, and the pioneers of Transcendentalism in America in 19 century. He was born in Concord, Massachusetts, 1817. Thoreau met Ralph Waldo Emerson when he studied in university. And he was deeply influenced by Emerson who advocated that man should be true to himself and close to nature. Emerson was not only a friend but also a teacher to Thoreau. They had edited the journal Sundial together. Thoreau graduated from Harvard College in 1837 and worked as...
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...Peaceful resistance has been evident throughout history. It has played large roles in the foundation and development of many countries, the United States being a key example. The growth shown through peaceful movements that protest oppressive laws and views has been beneficial to society as a whole; led by the views and actions of people like Martin Luther King Jr., Henry David Thoreau, and Ghandi. When a country claims to be free, certain natural liberties are implied. One can assume that they would have a certain degree of involvement in their government, and if they cannot speak out about what they might see as a corrupt ruling, one might begin to question the legitimacy behind the so called "freedom" that they are supposedly granted. Peaceful resistance allows a person's values and opinions to be heard in an orderly manner. When someone presents their views in a calm and respectful way, the opposing side will be more willing to listen to what they have to say. Growing up children are often told to treat others how they want to be treated. Acting out peacefully shows that you want to be treated with grace and respect too. This goes for the opposite as well. Acting out violently and irrationally would produce a harsh reaction from your counterpart....
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...Civil Disobedience is a tradition carried on by those willing to accept the consequences. Muhammad Ali is one example, he firmly stood up and opposed joining the military draft. That soon caused him to be stripped of his boxing title and was sentenced to five years in prison, but was appealed and avoided his prison sentence. Another example is Henry David Thoreau, who spent a night in jail for not paying his taxes, in protest of the Mexican American War. The influence of Henry Thoreau's writing has been read by civil rights leaders in the United States and around the world over the years. He believes when the government is doing wrong that the people should refuse to follow the law, like he did due to the practice of slavery in some territories. And the only purpose of the government was to ensure individual freedom and not misuse...
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...In “On Civil Disobedience and Non-Violence,” he says that people should disobey the wrong laws and wrong government. He appeals everyone to stand up for rights and justice by doing “simple, quiet, truthful carrying on of what you consider good and needful.” The simple, quiet and patient action which Budrus inhabitants considered right is just to stand on the land for building Separation barrier “until we made sure there would be no construction work” (Dalby). They did not use any arms or violence to prevent Israeli soldiers from building the barrier. Moreover, this action exemplifies Tolstoy’s ideas because it does not involve in the Palestinian government. At that time, “while the Palestinian elite attend talks and readily accept painful concessions on settlements" (Cheslow), Budrus resisted Israel consistently and non-violently to keep its land. The Budrus habitants stood up for their own rights as “a rational and free man, and defending them, not as the rights of local boards or committees are defended” (Tolstoy). This did not give the result right away, but it worked...
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...Henry Thoreau wrote “Under a government which imprisons any unjustly, the true place for a just man is also a prison.”(Thoreau) Thoreau’s wisdom applies to us today. Our government’s ability to disrupt our lives has never been stronger. Against such a government, non-violent resistance makes a positive impact to our society. Peaceful civil resistance boldly shows injustice, gives courage to the oppressed, and changes the course of history. Thoreau believed a person must live free. Free to their conscience, regardless of the consequences. One current threat to our freedoms is the government’s unlawful spying on its citizens. After the attacks of September 11, 2001, the US government gave great power to various spy agencies to gather information on millions of US Citizens. Phone records, and online records were secretly gathered and stored without warrant, and without probable cause. A young analyst Edward Snowden working for the National Security Agency (NSA) exposed to the world the actions of the US Government. He did this in a peaceful way. He didn’t expose any algorithms that the...
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