Henry David Thoreau and Civil Disobedience

             Henry David Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" has been a catalyst for many individualists and free thinkers since its publication in 1849. "Civil Disobedience" is a powerful political essay which embodies transcendental philosophies provoking men to follow the dictates of their conscience. It is seldom mentioned without references to historical leaders Gandhi and King who have given "Civil Disobedience" legitimacy and history. It is found that "Civil Disobedience" has ties to the Danish resistance, the struggle against South African apartheid, and Vietnam anti-war activists. The lesson learned from all this experience is that Thoreau's ideas do translate into real-life, and inspire a man to become reliant on himself for moral guidance. He examines that for a man to truly be free, he must express himself to break the bonds of societal conformity and must rely on instinct and faith to guide his moral path.
             Civil disobedience to Thoreau is the deliberate violation of law for a social purpose. To violate a law for individual gain or private purpose is an ordinary criminal act and is not civil disobedience. To Thoreau, it is not so much about freedom of government as it is freedom from government, arguing that the best government is one which governs least. He believes men should not be constrained to laws which bind them to act against their own will. "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? ... It is not desirable to cultivate a sign of respect for the law, as so much for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right" (Thoreau 2). Thoreau is effectively saying that laws may differentiate from personal beliefs, and while his beliefs may differ from those of the masses or those of the legislators making the laws, he should not be constrained to doing things which differ from his percepti...

More Essays:

APA     MLA     Chicago
Henry David Thoreau and Civil Disobedience. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 08:50, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/14473.html