"Resistance to Civil Government"

Charles So
English 48A
Journal for Thoreau
Oct. 20, 2010

Author Quote:
“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” (1857)

Internet Quote:
“His work is so rich, and so full of the complex contradictions that he explored, that his readers keep reshaping his image to fit their own needs”
By Ann Woodlief www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/authors/thoreau/

Summary:
Henry David Thoreau says that the government should be beneficial for its citizens, for it was meant to work for the citizen. The government now is a machine it now is being manipulated in congress by a few individuals out for their own hidden agendas and Thoreau brings up the Mexican War as one reason because he says, “ the people would not have consented to this measure” (1857). Thoreau wants people to stand up against the government and speak loudly in what they want from their government, there is an appeal for a the conscience of the nation to speak up and shout.

Opinion:
Thoreau is very contentious, he brings up social ideas which seems very controversial and ahead of its time and it might of shocked who ever read it. The suggestion for the citizen to want and expect the government to be a credit to them is very influential, there is great inspirational power as he speaks about the unconstitutional and unconscionable practice of slavery by the nation. Overall there is a strong message for standing up for what you believe in and resistance to the governments machine like ways.