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On the Duty of Civil Disobedience An Essay by Henry David Thoreau

On the Duty of Civil Disobedience An Essay by Henry David Thoreau. With notes on some of Henry’s most avid admirers and followers. What did Henry think of …. Human Nature? Government? Taxation? War? Reform?. Human Nature.

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On the Duty of Civil Disobedience An Essay by Henry David Thoreau

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  1. On the Duty of Civil Disobedience An Essay byHenry David Thoreau With notes on some of Henry’s most avid admirers and followers

  2. What did Henry think of … Human Nature? Government? Taxation? War? Reform?

  3. Human Nature Henry was a solitary fellow, and enjoyed time alone. He used that time to think, observing the world of nature, and the world of man. His thoughts are reflective and instructive to those who are looking for a better understanding of life in 19th century America. The next slide reflects his views on humans.

  4. “The mass of men serve the state thus:

  5. the work of comparatively a few individuals using the government as their tool; …for in the outset, the people would not have consented to this measure. “Witness the present Mexican war…”

  6. And for years after Henry was read by: • Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi • Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. • Robert Louis Stephenson • Joseph McCarthy • Barack Obama

  7. Mohandas Mahatma Gandhi Gandhi said “Thoreau’s ideas influenced me greatly. I adopted some of them and recommended the study of Thoreau to all of my friends who were helping me in the cause of Indian Independence. ..I actually took the name of my movement from Thoreau's essay ‘on the Duty of Civil Disobedience,’ written about 80 years ago …”

  8. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “…in this courageous New Englander’s refusal to pay his taxes and his choice of jail rather than support a war that would spread slavery’s territory into Mexico, I made my first contact with the theory of nonviolent resistance…I reread the work several times … I became convinced that non-cooperation with evil is as much a moral obligation as is cooperation with good.”

  9. Not All were Admirers Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote Kidnapped and many other famous stories for children, said: “In one word, Thoreau was a skulker. … he did not wish virtue to go out of him among his fellow-men, but slunk into a corner to hoard it for himself. He left all for the sake of certain virtuous self-indulgences.”

  10. McCarthyism and the Cold War Senator Joseph McCarthy proposed a ban of Thoreau’s “Civil Disobedience” for “promoting dangerous activities and encouraging people to question unrightfully the government.” When, in the mid-1950s, the United States Information Service included a standard textbook in all their libraries around the world Senator Joseph McCarthy succeeded in having the book removed from the shelves – specifically because of the Thoreau essay.” http://web.cn.edu/kwheeler/documents/Censorship.pdf

  11. More Dates of the Essay’s Influence: In the mid 1940s it was read by the Danish resistance, in the 1950s it was cherished by those who opposed McCarthyism, and the 1960s it was influential in the struggle against South African apartheid, and in the 1970s it was discovered by a new generation of anti-war activitists. The lesson learned from all this experience is that Thoreau’s ideas really do work, just as he imagined they would.

  12. Was Thoreau an Anarchist? “I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a better government … that government is best which governs not at all; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have.” Definition of anarchism: theory or doctrine that all forms of government are unnecessary, oppressive, and undesirable and should be abolished. – American Heritage dictionary

  13. What did others say? President Barack Obama referred to a one very important law when he spoke at the commencement of the University of Notre Dame in May of 2009: “For if there is one law that we can be most certain of, it is the law that binds people of all faiths and no faith together… It is, of course, the Golden Rule”

  14. Did Thoreau disregard all tax laws? “…I have never declined paying the highway tax, because I am as desirous of being a good neighbor as I am of being a bad subject; and as for supporting schools, I am doing my part to educate my fellow countrymen now. …I simply wish to refuse allegiance to the State … I do not care to trace the course of my dollar, if I could, till it buys a man a musket to shoot one with … the dollar is innocent – but I am concerned to trace the effects of my allegiance.”

  15. Was Thoreau totally anti-violence? After John Brown’s raid at Harpers Ferry, many abolitionists distanced themselves from Brown … Thoreau was disgusted by this, and composed a speech – A Plea for Captain John Brown – which was uncompromising in its defense of Brown and his violent actions … and soon the north was singing Brown’s praises …

  16. Closing Thoughts from Henry Be true to your word, your work, and your friend. Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them.

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