The Duty of Civil Disobedience
Henry David Thoreau on Civil Disobedience, his main premise is that civil laws require obedience by individuals, and in which the government is a subordinate. However, in cases where the government and human rights odd out, individuals are supposed to follow their consciences and disregard human laws. Resistance to civil government was a specific response to the 1846 Mexican War that was expected to cause an expansion of slave territory, and he was inclined much thought to reform theories.
Thoreau believes that the government does not concern him much, and proposes for a limited government (Thoreau). Thoreau says that he shall only bestow the little possible thoughts on the government. He believes that the moments he will live under the government and the world are few. Hence, reformers and unwise rule cannot fatally interrupt a man whose thoughts are never for a long time fancy-free, free-thinking, and imagination free. The understanding process of a man on universal laws contributes to the proper use of energy, time, and intellect.
Nevertheless, the resistance to civil governments does not diminish the significance of inspiring discovery and exploration of individuals. However, the reaction forms an acknowledgement that the inner exploration of governments loses meaning if matters of conscience are overlooked by people. The governments impose civil laws by physical means, which result in indecisive relative to moral issues. When an individual’s conscience variances with the government, the individual is punished by a type of force, confinement that objectives nothing in a state. Thoreau says that the government only forces people to obey laws which they do (Thoreau). Although, the government, in turn, forces people to behave like the way it decides, by forcing them to live by the rules it develops.
The individuals resist the government through nonpayment of taxes because the government involves itself in issues that are no proper jurisdiction. The resistance constitutes of peaceful revolutions that are not violent. Moreover, in the protests, Thoreau argues that the government still has a position, because Thoreau declares war with the government, though still makes the advantage of it to get what he wants (Thoreau).
In summary Resistance to Civil Government in Civil Disobedience by Henry Thoreau, the law that is applied in matters of conscience belongs to a different sphere where they are decided by the majority rule. The government is as useless when it comes to matters of moral issues. The government oversteps the authorities when it realizes it is involved in moral issues, thus the system perpetuates itself over time, and this leads people to resist the government to develop a limited government decided by all individuals.
Work Cited
Thoreau, Henry David. Civil disobedience. Broadview Press, 2016.
