Resistance to Civil Government - Henry D. Thoreau

Book Quote:
“There are thousands who are in opinion opposed to slavery and to the war, who yet in effect do nothing to put an end to them; who, esteeming themselves children of Washington and Franklin, sit down with their hands in their pockets, and say that they know not what to do, and do nothing”
– Thoreau (1860)

Online Quote:
“he believed his truest identity would be found in differentiating himself from the common herd of humanity, which he saw as mediocre, morally lazy, and cowardly. He was an individualist; he held that each person’s responsibility is to follow the highest leadings of personal conscience”
- Enotes.com

Summary:
Thoreau’s essay is about our government’s disadvantages to us the people. Our government is “but a tradition, though a recent one.” The corruption and in just in the government is not the idea when creating the Constitution but has over taken its purpose. It is a nuisance for the people and does not intend to improve on its own unless the people demand it, you must speak. War is not the answer. The Mexican War was a root to the civil war and was taken place during the creation of this essay. Thoreau did not support the war and did not pay the poll tax for it and goes to jail for a day willingly. He was the nonconformist that others were afraid to be. Everyone else felt they needed to follow as none of them could think for themselves as they should.

Opinion:
I truly get Thoreau’s thoughts about everyone, including myself, being the cowards of the government. Too afraid to be seen as a traitor should we speak against it. War should not be the answer to anything and that is what this essay is mainly about as he wanted to write about his imprisonment for not paying the war tax the “poll tax.” Everyone has an opinion but doesn’t go farther than that because they are cowards and can’t see themselves making a difference to anything so stay in the dark. As this happens you leave the government to make the decisions for you, which you will go along because again, you see yourself as too small. Though this describes the government in Thoreau’s time, eighteen forty-nine, we still have these issues in two-thousand and nine. War is our answer, we don’t see our selves making a difference so we just go as far as making opinions. Of course the middle class is still taxed the most, “the institution which makes him rich.” Of course the government is going to be looking out for themselves and put away their consciences.