Government Essay -- Analysis, Thoreau

Thoreau starts his essay by supporting the motto- â€Å"that government is best which governs least† (177), which implies the reduction of governmental interference in everyday affairs by reducing the government’s capacity to tax for unpopular causes. A case in point is a poll tax – a â€Å"per head† tax imposed on all citizens to help support, what Thoreau considered an unjust war against Mexico, which would extend slavery into new US territories, organized by a small elite of persons who have manipulated government to their benefit against popular will (177). Furthermore, Thoreau maintains that government rarely proves itself useful and that it derives its authority from the majority since they are physically the strongest group, not because they hold the most legitimate viewpoint. He continues that individual’s prior obligation is to do what they believe is right and not to obey the law dictated by the majority. It can be suggested that when a go vernment is unjust, people should refuse to obey the law and dissociate themselves from the government in general. This implies that a person is not obligated to devote his life to eradicating evils from the world, but he is ought not to participate in such evils, which could mean not being a member of an unjust institution such as the government. However, at the same time, it could not be the most appropriate approach for one to dissociate from the society and be ultimately responsible to herself alone, especially in current interconnected world. Moreover, it is worth noting, that there is a strong sense of individualism and skepticism toward the government throughout Thoreau's work. It can be argued that Thoreau is deeply skeptical of the government because he despises the view that an individu... ...mply not make the world any worse. To return to the original question, it would appear that a man has a duty to act according to the dictates of his conscience, despite the latter goes against majority opinion, or the laws of society. In cases when the state supports unjust or immoral laws, Thoreau's notion of service to one's country paradoxically shifts to the form of resistance against it. Resistance is the highest form of patriotism because it illustrates a desire not to demolish government but to build a better one in the long term. Thus, Thoreau does not advocate a complete rejection of the administration, but resistance to those specific features considered to be unjust or immoral. Even though Thoreau’s ideas were not much influential in nineteenth century, it helped to inspire Mohandas Gandhi’s and Martin Luthor King’s theories of nonviolent resistance.