Can there not be a government in which majorities do not virtually decide right and wrong but conscience?

Thoreau appears to side with the latter, as he pleads can there not be a government in which majorities do not virtually decide right and wrong, but conscience, suggesting that following one’s moral conscience is more just than abiding by majority rule should the two come into conflict (Thoreau 2).

What did Thoreau find wrong with majority?

Explain what Thoreau thinks is wrong with majority rule. What does he say is the only obligation he has a right to assume? He thinks its bad because it forces to go along with the group. He thinks that he has the obligation to only do what he believes is right.

What type of government does Thoreau want?

Thoreau believes that the best kind of government is one that governs not at all. Governments, like all human institutions, are, of their very nature, corrupt.

What does Thoreau consider the most effective way of expressing his displeasure with the government?

Thoreau considers civil disobedience one of the most effective ways of expressing his displeasure with the government. Civil disobedience, as the name suggests, is the active disregard and breaking of a government rule when a private citizen believes it is unnecessary or even against society’s best interests.

Who is Henry David Thoreau comparing the government to?

Resistance also served as part of Thoreau’s metaphor comparing the government to a machine: when the machine was producing injustice, it was the duty of conscientious citizens to be “a counter friction” (i.e., a resistance) “to stop the machine”.

What does Thoreau ask for instead of no government all at once?

What is Thoreau trying to persuade people to believe in this essay? What does Thoreau ask for instead of no government all at once? a better government at once. According to Thoreau, slavery could be abolished in American by a man doing what?

How was Martin Luther King influenced by Thoreau?

The American tradition of protest, strongly influenced by Thoreau’s writing on civil disobedience, includes the notion of nonviolent, direct action. Martin Luther King, “fascinated” and “deeply moved” by Thoreau’s essay, built upon the work of both Thoreau and Gandhi (3).

How is Gandhi and Martin Luther King similar?

and Mahatma Gandhi were both very influential and were both very strong leaders. They both fought for what they believed in while using nonviolent civil disobedience. Using there nonviolent strategy they turned out to both make a big change in the world by stopping segregation.

What is the ultimate source of any government’s power?

Because the people are the ultimate source of all government power, the government has only as much authority as the people give it. Government’s power is thus limited. Much of the Constitution, in fact, consists of specific limitations on government power.

Who is the ultimate source of authority in a democracy?

The people are the basic source of power within a democracy. Democracy is defined as the government of the people, by the people and for the people. The citizens of a nation hold the ultimate power since a nation hold the ultimate power since it is their collective voice that dictates government decisions.