382 unit 2: american romanticism

background Thoreau put into practice the ideas expressed in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance.” In 1846, he spent a night in jail for refusing to pay a poll tax—a tax one had to pay in order to vote—as an act of protest against the U.S. government. Thoreau was enraged by the government’s support of slavery and its war against Mexico, which he viewed as a case of a stronger country overpowering a weaker one simply to expand its own borders. Inspired by his experience in jail, Thoreau wrote this essay.

I heartily accept the motto, “That government is best which governs least;” and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe,—“That government is best which governs not at all;” and when men are prepared forit, that will be the kind of government which they will have. Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient. The objections which have abeen brought against a standing army, and they are many and weighty, and deserve to prevail, may also at last be brought against a standing government. The standing army is only an arm of the standing government. The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it. 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. . . .

But, to speak practically and as a citizen, unlike those who call themselves no-government men, I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a

10

Henry David Thoreaud i s o b e d i e n c eCivil

13 the present Mexican war: the 1846–1848 war between Mexico and the United States.

a EVALUATE IDEASReread lines 1–7. What effect might these lines have on Thoreau’s readers?

ANALYZE VISUALS The photographer who created the image on page 383 made a deliberate choice to focus not on the people in the crowd, but on their shadows. Why might she have made this choice?

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Targeted Passage1

differentiated instruction

Practice and ApplysummaryIn these excerpts from “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau argues that citizens must follow their conscience and fight government injustice in a peaceful manner. For example, he refuses to pay taxes that fund causes that he opposes—an action that lands him in jail but frees him spiritually.

a evaluate ideasPossible answer: By presenting an unusual interpretation of a common saying, these lines spark readers’ interest and stir their emotions, encouraging them to continue reading. The lines establish that the essay will explore Thoreau’s view of the proper role of government—a view that many readers may not share.If students need help . . . Define the words expedient and inexpedient (lines 6–7), us-ing these sentences to add clarification:• The bridge was an expedient for getting

across the river.• It was inexpedient for us to travel over

the mountain when we could have gone through the tunnel at its base.

Extend the Discussion Why might modern readers be less surprised by these com-ments than readers of Thoreau’s time might have been?

R E A D I N G S K I L L

for less–proficient readers1 Targeted Passage [Lines 5–16]

In this passage, Thoreau explains that he is writing in response to perceived abuses by the government.• To what does Thoreau compare a govern-

ment? Why?• What problems can government face? • What war is going on when Thoreau is

writing?

• How does Thoreau believe most people feel about the war?

for english learnersVocabulary: Suffixes Point out that some-times more than one suffix is added to a root or base word. Have students identify the suffix or suffixes in each of these words:• rapidly, systematically (line 2): rapid + ly;

system + atic + al + ly• government (line 5): govern + ment

• objections (line 7): object + ions• weighty (line 8): weight + y• comparatively (line 14): compare + ative + lyDiscuss how the word meanings change when suffixes are added.

382 unit 2 : american romanticism

382 unit 2: american romanticism

background Thoreau put into practice the ideas expressed in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “Self-Reliance.” In 1846, he spent a night in jail for refusing to pay a poll tax—a tax one had to pay in order to vote—as an act of protest against the U.S. government. Thoreau was enraged by the government’s support of slavery and its war against Mexico, which he viewed as a case of a stronger country overpowering a weaker one simply to expand its own borders. Inspired by his experience in jail, Thoreau wrote this essay.

I heartily accept the motto, “That government is best which governs least;” and I should like to see it acted up to more rapidly and systematically. Carried out, it finally amounts to this, which also I believe,—“That government is best which governs not at all;” and when men are prepared forit, that will be the kind of government which they will have. Government is at best but an expedient; but most governments are usually, and all governments are sometimes, inexpedient. The objections which have abeen brought against a standing army, and they are many and weighty, and deserve to prevail, may also at last be brought against a standing government. The standing army is only an arm of the standing government. The government itself, which is only the mode which the people have chosen to execute their will, is equally liable to be abused and perverted before the people can act through it. 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. . . .

But, to speak practically and as a citizen, unlike those who call themselves no-government men, I ask for, not at once no government, but at once a

10

Henry David Thoreaud i s o b e d i e n c eCivil

13 the present Mexican war: the 1846–1848 war between Mexico and the United States.

a EVALUATE IDEASReread lines 1–7. What effect might these lines have on Thoreau’s readers?

ANALYZE VISUALS The photographer who created the image on page 383 made a deliberate choice to focus not on the people in the crowd, but on their shadows. Why might she have made this choice?

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analyze visualsPossible answer: By showing just the shad-ows, the photographer equalizes the people in this crowd. They are no longer individuals, distinguished by wealth, race, age, or gender; instead, they are human presences in a unified force that works together to convey its ideas or take action.

backgroundThe Mexican War As part of his 1844 reelec-tion bid, President John Tyler pushed for the annexation of Texas, then an independent na-tion. Although Tyler lost the election, the issue consolidated opposing views: Southerners fa-vored annexing Texas as a slave state, whereas Northerners feared that doing so would give slave states too much power in Congress. The annexation succeeded under Tyler’s succes-sor, James K. Polk, who inherited a boundary dispute with Mexico. Polk offered to buy the disputed area from Mexico, along with what is now New Mexico and California. When Mexico refused, war broke out. The hostilities lasted much longer than the quick series of battles that Polk had hoped for, but it finally ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, in which the Rio Grande border was finalized and Mexico ceded New Mexico and California to the United States for $15 million.

for advanced learners/apSynthesize After students have read the first paragraph of Thoreau’s essay and listened to the BACKGROUND information on the war with Mexico, pose these questions:• How might Tyler and Polk have responded

to Thoreau’s ideas in the first paragraph?• How might a proslavery Southerner have

responded to Thoreau’s views?• How might a settler in the disputed area

have responded to Thoreau’s statements about the people’s role in government?

Have students write a brief paragraph in response to one of these questions. Then invite students to share their paragraphs with the class. Allow time for questions and discussion.

civil disobedience 383