Civil Disobedience The message of freedom has been proclaimed from the mouths of a copious amount of Americans since the time America was first established. Why is this freedom so important and valued among American citizens? The importance of it is all based on the fact that this country was founded on the principles of freedom. One thing many do ask is where should the freedom end? Stopping freedom at the enslavement of the black population was obviously too soon. However, giving freedom boundaries, of something as cruel as murder, is necessary. Henry David Thoreau was an early American writer who believed in living simply. He has taken a stance on where freedom has its place. In his well-known essay “Civil Disobedience,” written because
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Furthermore, in “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau presents his opinion on freedom, and this influences the people of today in three specific ways, beginning with the large amount of conformity, the current political strife, and he also demonstrates what it is to be empowered, and …show more content…
This essay is written in a technique, whether or not Thoreau realized it, which makes it an easy defense for both sides of an argument in politics. From the time of Adam and Eve, politics have been a part of our lives. Although it wasn’t until later that a form of government was established. In “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau states, “The standing army is only an arm of the standing government. The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it. Witness the present Mexican war, the work of comparatively a few individuals using the standing government as their tool; for in the outset, the people would not have consented to this measure.” He says a large amount of radical things here. However, if the reader focuses in on the smaller ideas of the passage, they realize he says, “Witness the present Mexican war…” This is significant because of what he says before this, explaining the government is liable to be perverted. Thoreau says the “present” Mexican war because he is acknowledging that there will be political strife forever, and that was just the focus of his time. In seeing this, he shows us the government can be corrupted. From any side of an argument, there seems to be a ‘corrupt’ party, where
Furthermore, in “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau presents his opinion on freedom, and this influences the people of today in three specific ways, beginning with the large amount of conformity, the current political strife, and he also demonstrates what it is to be empowered, and …show more content…
This essay is written in a technique, whether or not Thoreau realized it, which makes it an easy defense for both sides of an argument in politics. From the time of Adam and Eve, politics have been a part of our lives. Although it wasn’t until later that a form of government was established. In “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau states, “The standing army is only an arm of the standing government. The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it. Witness the present Mexican war, the work of comparatively a few individuals using the standing government as their tool; for in the outset, the people would not have consented to this measure.” He says a large amount of radical things here. However, if the reader focuses in on the smaller ideas of the passage, they realize he says, “Witness the present Mexican war…” This is significant because of what he says before this, explaining the government is liable to be perverted. Thoreau says the “present” Mexican war because he is acknowledging that there will be political strife forever, and that was just the focus of his time. In seeing this, he shows us the government can be corrupted. From any side of an argument, there seems to be a ‘corrupt’ party, where