Progress, Freedom, Slavery - Essay Example

Progress, Freedom and Slavery Henry David Thoreau was a wise man who saw the wrongs of the American society in the middle of the nineteenth century and tried to stand up to them. The activist found his own way to make the government stop evil policies, which were the Mexican-American war and slavery. Thoreau had quite a specific view on the concept of civil disobedience. It is noteworthy that the thinker believed that the government as well as the state could be described as a machine that used people as its tools in reaching some goals.

The activist also thought that the means of influence on the machine were limited and almost non-existent. Thoreau saw voting as a tool of indifference as people “cast” their votes in the way they thought was right, but they were “not vitally concerned that that right” had to prevail (Thoreau, 1849, para. 11). The thinker believed that the most effective way to affect decisions and policies was people’s refusal to pay taxes. He stressed that the state would simply have no resources to lead people to death in the war or to keep some minorities in slavery even if some people might support such policies.

The activist notes, “This is, in fact, the definition of a peaceable revolution, if any such is possible” (Thoreau, 1849, para. 22). He also noted that even if the state would imprison all those rightful people who would not pay taxes, it would be unable to continue its unjust policies as there would be no resources and there would not be enough prisons. In conclusion, it is possible to note that Thoreau reveals his disappointment at major tools available for people and he finds a new effective way to diminish injustice and wrongs in the society.

Reference List Thoreau, H.D. (1849). Civil disobedience. Retrieved from http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper2/thoreau/civil.html