Therefore, if he were alive today, America would be the exact type of government that he’d go against and judge harshly. To begin, America is all about majority vote. Thoreau is against this, stating, “When the power is once in the hands of the people, a majority are permitted, and for a long period continue, to rule is not because they are most likely to be in the right…but because they are physically the strongest. ” (McDougal Littell Literature, page 384).
Voting and the majority decide everything, and as Thoreau stated, this does not necessarily mean they are closer to being right. Surely if he were to criticize our form of government, this would be one of the things he’d focus on. Whenever someone of office is chosen or a new law is proposed, elections take place to find which option gets the greater preference. Rather than deciding on a decision through some other process, the choice is placed upon the majority that agrees to one thing.
Another concept that Thoreau speaks against is our attitude to go against unjust laws. Most people abide by the law, even if they don’t agree. Thoreau is serious when he says to oppose these unfair rules and refuse to follow them. In a personal story he even tells of a time where he spent a night in jail due to his refusal to pay poll tax. “If it is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law” (page 385).
Thoreau boldly states that if a law asks you to perform an injustice, simply break it.
The Essay on Natural Law and State Law In Antigone
Words: 1246International Baccalaureate English 11 Period 19 January 2006Natural Law and State Law in AntigoneIn Antigone, one of the meanings Sophocles presents is State Law versus Natural Law which do not always agree. Sophocles uses characterization to show the conflict between the two ideas. State Law is defined as a translation of Natural Law into “concrete norms governing peoples and nations” ...
His reasoning is logical, since petition and protest doesn’t usually get you very far and is slipped under the radar by the government. Thoreau himself probably would have refused to pay some taxes or follow another rule in modern day. A recent unjust law that has been under contemplation is Senate Bill 736. The Florida Education Association argued that the law was unconstitutional and strips teachers of their ability to negotiate pay. This law would mean no additional pay guaranteed for advanced degrees as well.
The law caused such a conspiracy that letters and emails were sent from all over, the most protest many in office had ever seen. Thoreau was passionate about his beliefs, which only ensures me more that he would fight against our system and judge it harshly were he still alive. Whether because of the emphasis on majority vote, or undefeatable unjust laws, he would surely not favor our government amongst others. Thoreau today would encourage civil disobedience and fight against the rules that he does not agree with just as he did back then.
