Henry David Thoreau's 'Civil Disobedience'

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Andy Eakes 12/11/10 P.4 Mr. Jimenez If you lived in Concord, Massachusetts during the 1830’s and 1840’s you would have definitely heard of Henry David Thoreau, but you wouldn’t have thought as highly of him as we do today. You would’ve most likely thought he was crazy. During Thoreau’s time there was a huge dispute over the American and Mexican border, which led to a war that angered many people. The only problem was that nobody wanted to oppose the government. Everyone kept their thoughts to themselves. Henry Thoreau wasn’t like most people. Ever since he was young Thoreau was never afraid to protest against something that he thought wasn’t right. He was never concerned about what people thought about him; he just wanted his message…show more content…
I think that is why many people didn’t see him as a hero until later. Thoreau was always known as an abolitionist who protested against a lot of things, but what made him most famous was his protests against the Mexican-American War. Thoreau went so far with his protest that he spent a night in jail for refusing to pay a poll tax that would support the war. Thoreau also wrote an essay in 1848 called, “Civil Disobedience”, which mainly discusses man’s willingness and unwillingness to accept the conventions of politics. He emphasized the magnitude and significance of individuality vs. conformity. What separated him from other people is that he was very much against violence. If you look at our nation’s history, it’s nothing but violence: wars, rebellions, etc. Even today people think that the only way to get what you want is through violence and intimidation. Words are looked at as just words with no value what so ever. When used correctly can be a very powerful thing. Thoreau preached this but was not understood until many years…show more content…
Yet to many Thoreau is a hero that nobody listened to. He is truly a hero by the way he did things. His beliefs were like no other, yet people never gave him a chance to speak. Even today, after we have seen historical events that were influenced by Thoreau, we still see him as crazy. Thoreau wanted peace. He made an art of curiosity; I believe people today have forgotten how to be curious. They have forgotten the desire to learn more and see what something is really is. That is what Thoreau wanted, and what’s sad is that there are people like Thoreau that are trying to get their message across, but nobody listens to them. Do we really want to make that mistake again? We have to listen to what these people have to say, or become our own heroes and stand up for what we believe is right. You never know what might
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