Who was the author of the doctrine of civil disobedience?

Henry David Thoreau

What is the message of civil disobedience?

Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience espouses the need to prioritize one’s conscience over the dictates of laws. It criticizes American social institutions and policies, most prominently slavery and the Mexican-American War.

What was Henry David Thoreau’s purpose in writing civil disobedience?

Henry David Thoreau’s purpose in writing resistance to civil government was to explain the need to prioritize one’s conscience over the dictates of laws. In his essay, Thoreau explains that governments are typically more harmful than helpful and therefore cannot be justified.

Why is civil disobedience important?

Civil disobedience is an important part of a democratic country because it is one of the driving factors that allow individuals to exercise their rights to free speech and speak up against an unfair and unjust government and its laws.

What kind of government does Thoreau argue for in civil disobedience?

Thoreau believes that the best kind of government is one that governs not at all. Governments, like all human institutions, are, of their very nature, corrupt.

What does Thoreau mean by a better government?

Rather, for the moment, he is asking for a better government. Thoreau argues that by answering to the majority, democracies answer the desires of the strongest group, not the most virtuous or thoughtful. A government founded on this principle cannot be based on justice.

What kind of government is Thoreau most supportive of?

In “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau wrote that the best kind of government was the one “which [governed] not at all” (Thoreau 1)….