Henry David Thoreau on Political and Social Reform
Thoreau, Henry David. "Henry David Thoreau: Resistance to Government or Civil Disobedience." American Transcendentalism Web. Ed. Jessica Gordon and Ann Woodlief. Virginia Commonwealth University,, 1999. Web. 12 Jan. 2016. . In this selection of quotes from Thoreau, in addition to excerpts from his writings, one can deduce that Thoreau was passionate about political reform. Henry Thoreau argues that American voters should vote on political issues of the time, rather than voting for a representative to represent the opinions of my people. He advocates political reform and states that members of the army and militia are nothing but sheep who cannot think for themselves. He claims …show more content…
"Slavery in Massachusetts - with Annotated Text." The Thoreau Reader. Iowa State University. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. . Thoreau sarcastically commentates on matters regarding the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. He refutes justifications for this law and points out that slavery is inherently wrong and immoral. Like other abolitionists of his time, Thoreau insinuates that people in positions of power have no right to determine whether or not a man is to be deemed free, as all men are inherently free. He states that calling a slave guilty of anything is paradoxical in meaning because logically, slave owners are the truly guilty ones. Thoreau also insinuates that people are sheep who blindly follow societal normalities that are clearly unethical. This represents his and other reformer’s beliefs about varying moral issues, such as slavey, during the mid-1800s.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1854. Excerpts from Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Web. Tuesday, January 11, 2016. http://ase.tufts.edu/gdae/CS/ walden.pdf. In this excerpt from Thoreau’s Walden, Thoreau discusses the woes …show more content…
"Life and Times of Henry David Thoreau." The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. . This article portrays Thoreau’s humble upbringing and transition from a pencil-maker’s son to a man who influenced the beliefs of major world figures. The writer explains how Thoreau was a passionate intellectual, as he attended Harvard University and studied a plethora of languages, as well as philosophy, mathematics, history and english. Thoreau is described as having ben an aspiring writer who began to write essays and journal entries. His writing quickly became influenced by the transcendentalist movement, as he interacted with many people whom were also involved in the movement. Thoreau was then inspired to write Civil Disobedience, an essay regarding moral issues and individualism. This encouraged people to think for themselves and be independent, which was extremely progressive at the time. On this topic he said, “…be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you, opening new channels, not of trade, but of thought. (Walden, 321). He went on to write Walden, which spoke of naturalism, materialism, technological advances, and the regression of society. He was a major reformer of the time whose ideas are still relevant
Thoreau, Henry David. "Henry David Thoreau: Resistance to Government or Civil Disobedience." American Transcendentalism Web. Ed. Jessica Gordon and Ann Woodlief. Virginia Commonwealth University,, 1999. Web. 12 Jan. 2016. . In this selection of quotes from Thoreau, in addition to excerpts from his writings, one can deduce that Thoreau was passionate about political reform. Henry Thoreau argues that American voters should vote on political issues of the time, rather than voting for a representative to represent the opinions of my people. He advocates political reform and states that members of the army and militia are nothing but sheep who cannot think for themselves. He claims …show more content…
"Slavery in Massachusetts - with Annotated Text." The Thoreau Reader. Iowa State University. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. . Thoreau sarcastically commentates on matters regarding the Fugitive Slave Law of 1850. He refutes justifications for this law and points out that slavery is inherently wrong and immoral. Like other abolitionists of his time, Thoreau insinuates that people in positions of power have no right to determine whether or not a man is to be deemed free, as all men are inherently free. He states that calling a slave guilty of anything is paradoxical in meaning because logically, slave owners are the truly guilty ones. Thoreau also insinuates that people are sheep who blindly follow societal normalities that are clearly unethical. This represents his and other reformer’s beliefs about varying moral issues, such as slavey, during the mid-1800s.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden. Boston: Ticknor and Fields, 1854. Excerpts from Walden by Henry David Thoreau. Web. Tuesday, January 11, 2016. http://ase.tufts.edu/gdae/CS/ walden.pdf. In this excerpt from Thoreau’s Walden, Thoreau discusses the woes …show more content…
"Life and Times of Henry David Thoreau." The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau. Web. 12 Jan. 2015. . This article portrays Thoreau’s humble upbringing and transition from a pencil-maker’s son to a man who influenced the beliefs of major world figures. The writer explains how Thoreau was a passionate intellectual, as he attended Harvard University and studied a plethora of languages, as well as philosophy, mathematics, history and english. Thoreau is described as having ben an aspiring writer who began to write essays and journal entries. His writing quickly became influenced by the transcendentalist movement, as he interacted with many people whom were also involved in the movement. Thoreau was then inspired to write Civil Disobedience, an essay regarding moral issues and individualism. This encouraged people to think for themselves and be independent, which was extremely progressive at the time. On this topic he said, “…be a Columbus to whole new continents and worlds within you, opening new channels, not of trade, but of thought. (Walden, 321). He went on to write Walden, which spoke of naturalism, materialism, technological advances, and the regression of society. He was a major reformer of the time whose ideas are still relevant