Henry David Thoreau Civil Disobedience Research Paper - 1

Henry David Thoreau Civil Disobedience - Research Paper Example In addition to that, the slavery which caused intense issues in England motivated Thoreau to write this article. After seeing and experiencing the intolerable environment, Thoreau first gave a speech in 1848. This speech later took form of an essay and then was known as the â€Å"Civil Disobedience†. According to Thoreau, a man’s own opinion matters a lot and is in no way derogatory to the political decision. If a political decision is taken for the mankind, a man’s own decision is also very important for himself and his loved ones. So it is wrong to nullify that personal decision in order to bring their (governments’) own perspective. As Thoreau says: â€Å"[i]t is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right... Law never made men a whit more just; and, by means of their respect for it, even the well-disposed are daily made the agents of injustice† (Thoreau). Thoreau goes on to say that an individual should not be tagged as a traitor or rebel only because he disagrees with the government’s point of view because he has the right to have his own opinion and to practice his own beliefs. Thoreau’s writing style, when it comes to this essay, is quite blunt and straightforward. Moreover considering the political upheaval of that time, the American Mexican War and the issue of slavery, writing this essay was a gigantic and a bold step. In his essay, Thoreau also gives references to the Massachusetts environment and writes: â€Å"who (people of Massachusetts) are more interested in commerce and agriculture than they are in humanity, and are not prepared to do justice to the slave and to Mexico,  cost what it may... There are thousands who are in opinion opposed to slavery and to the war, who yet in effect do nothing to put an end to them† (Thoreau). Thoreau shares his opinion about the