Resistant to Civil Government
Thoreau’s Ideals Displayed In Today’s Society Many people have their beliefs and ideas of a perfect government. Throughout history some people have rebelled against the government and ended up discovering that they were wrong to rebel. In examination of Resistance to Civil Government, it has been realized that this piece of literature has influenced some of today’s artists. ... Resistance to Civil Government was written by Henry David Thoreau in the mid 1800’s. His whole idea in the story is that of the free mind versus the Government. He believes that the government is a machine and that the less government involved, the better. He mentions on page 852 that the American government is just a tradition. ... His beliefs of the ideal government are mentioned through two quotes on page 853. The first quote is “But at once a better government.” Through this quote, Thoreau is mentioning that a better government is required. In the second quote, Thoreau has an answer for the better government. “Let every man make known what kind of government would command his respect. ... People should stand up for what they believe in and not let the government do the thinking for them. ... ” He also spends one night in jail for not paying his tax but he says that even though the government can lock him up, he is still free in his mind.