DISOBEDIENCE TO GOVERNMENT

Thoreau's Civil Disobedience to Government

Thoreau's Civil Disobedience to Government

Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817 - May 6, 1862 was an American author, naturalist, transcendentalist, tax resister, development critic, and philosopher who is best known for Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state.

Thoreau's books, articles, essays, journals, and poetry total over 20 volumes. Among his lasting contributions were his writings on natural history and philosophy, where he anticipated the methods and findings of ecology and environmental history, two sources of modern day environmentalism.

He was a lifelong abolitionist, delivering lectures that attacked the Fugitive Slave Law while praising the writings of Wendell Phillips and defending the abolitionist John Brown. Thoreau's philosophy of nonviolent resistance influenced the political thoughts and actions of such later figures as Leo Tolstoy, Mohandas K. Gandhi, and Martin Luther King, Jr.

Some anarchists claim Thoreau as an inspiration. Though Civil Disobedience calls for improving rather than abolishing government — “I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government” — the direction of this improvement aims at anarchism: “'That government is best which governs not at all;' and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have.”

Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King Jr. were both influential writers and leaders of their times. Thoreau lived during the time when slavery was at it peak and just beginning to be overthrown, and King was alive during the time that called for social reform and the better treatment of African Americans living in the U.S. who were subject to segregation and torment. Thoreau's influences can be seen in the writings of Dr. King. Both authors share similar qualities in their writing styles, well as their topics in their literature.

Each of these authors writes about his opinion of the current situations in their lives. For example, Thoreau writes about his thought on the government of his day. He tells us of the government that he feels would suit Americans the most. He also states that he feels that the people should have a voice in the government that rules them. Thoreau also uses appeal to his readers. He tries to persuade the reader to feel the same way about the topic as he does. He uses his opinion openly throughout the essay.

King also uses these tactics and states his opinion in '"'Letter from Birmingham Jail.'"' King relates the current situation in Alabama to the moral degradation of society. He uses factual information in a combination with his personal heartfelt feelings about life in Birmingham to persuade us to feel that something should be done to better the situation at hand.

As well as their opinions being stated in their work, Thoreau and King also have in common the usage of criticism of the government in their writings. For example, Thoreau is not at all afraid ...