journal 25

Nika Bogoslovsky
11/8/07
Thoreau

"That government is best which governs not at all"

Summary:

Resistance to Civil Disobedience was written by Henry David Thoreau. It's a radical essay about how the government isn't needed and how people would be better without it. Thoreau wrote this during the Mexican American war, which he was against, and was responding to it. Given as a speech, Civil Disobedience gave Thoreau much publicity.

Response:

In class we discussed that Thoreau wasn't very popular in his day and the Civil Disobedience gave him some publicity. How is it that people weren't up in arms about it and either greatly in tune or deeply offended, especially in that time? And how did he not get in trouble for it? He openly talks out against the government repeatedly and even says we're better off without it. Can you imagine what would happen if someone did that now, or in the 60's during black listing? Probably straight to jail, ruthlessly interrogated and 24 hour surveillance from that point on. Now that I point that out, I can't help but notice how backwards that seems. I'd think things would loosen up with the progression of time but it seems like it's only gotten tighter. His writings inspired so many influential people, how is it that no one in his day were as greatly moved?