In Thoreau's " Civil Disobedience" his motto is " That Government is best which governs least" Thoreau believed that the Government has too much power over the people. Citizens should stand up for their civil rights Thoreau is trying to encourage people to resist a government that makes bad decisions. He basically wants them to disobey unjust laws and abolish slavery. He cares less about government rights, and more about individual rights.
" How does it become a man to behave toward this American government today? I answer, that he cannot without disgrace be associated with it. I cannot for an instant recognize that political organization as my government which is the slaves government also. " Thoreau would not obey a government that gave slaves less freedom than himself, when in reality they live under the same government and should have equal rights.Morally, he thought that he should stand up for what he believed in no matter what the circumstances were. Slavery was a huge issue then, and he did everything he could to abolish it.
The Mexican war was an act of bullying, It involved stealing land from a weaker nation. President Polk annexed Texas in 1845, and caused Mexico to retaliate. "witness the present Mexican war, the work of comparatively a few individuals using the standing government as their tool, for in the outset the people would not have consented to this measure." says Thoreau. This type of war was unethical, because the smaller country was only trying to protect their land, while the larger and more powerful country took it.
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