Henry David Thoreau and Resistance to Civil Government Essay

Henry David Thoreau was the most active agent participant in the Transcendentalist movement. He was a student and mentee of Ralph Waldo Emerson. While Emerson had unfathomed ideas, Thoreau would act on them and fully practice them. Hence, he matte up that he and others should resist Americas Civil G everyplacenment. I heartily get the motto, That administration is best which governs least and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. (Thoreau) Thoreau starts out his famous essay with the statement that government should be weak and the people strong.He was a strong barrack of the individual the rights of the individual. To him, a person should be self reliant, as Emerson taught. He felt that the more citizens relied on their government for their needs, then the stronger the government would deport off and that could be dangerous. He felt that being controlled by a government, or anything else for that matter, was a tragedy in a persons life. The m aster(prenominal) reason that Thoreau wrote opponent to Civil Government was because he was completely fatigue of a government that could allow slavery to exist.Slavery was an institution in the Southern states where people actually proclaimed African Americans. He felt that if it was wrong for a government to have to much power over the individual and his/her rights, then surely it was wrong for a nonher human to let another. In the institution of slavery, the slave has no rights at all. Slaves were made to bring in extremely hard. Thoreau had nothing against hard work for an individuals own self-reliance, but the slave did not benefit from his/her work.The proprietor reaped all of the profit. They did not get to choose their profession, it was illegal to teach them to read or write, many owners beat them, and they could be sold away from their families at any time. The owner controlled everything about them even life and death. Slavery went against everything that Thoreau bel ieved about government and the individual. If it was true up that it government should have as little control as possible, then it was an abomination that this kind of power could control another.Thoreau was so appalled that a government that claimed in its constitution that all men were created equal, could turn a blind eye to the institution of slavery. He decided that since his tax dollars went to a government that supported such an institution, he would no longer pay his taxes. He hoped that he could inspire others who proclaimed abolitionist thoughts would do the same. However, they did not. In fact when Emerson came to the jail to post his bond, he asked Thoreau why he was in jail. Thoreau responded by asking Emerson why he was not in in that respect with him.Thoreaus idea of civil disobedience to a government that is not of the people has been successful for several generations after Thoreaus death. He squeeze the lives of such great men as Ghandi and the Reverend Martin L uther queen mole rat, Jr. King used Thoreaus method and turned a nation some and forced it to recognize the civil rights of all people by Resistance to Civil Government. Thoreau and his idea of peaceful protest will remain an emotional way to change governments for generations to come.