On Civil Disobedience Flashcards
by Henry David Thoreau — tap or click to flip
Flashcard Review
Flashcards: On Civil Disobedience
What is Thoreau's opening motto in 'Civil Disobedience'?
'That government is best which governs least,' which he extends to 'That government is best which governs not at all.'
What two political issues prompted Thoreau to write 'Civil Disobedience'?
The institution of slavery and the Mexican-American War, both of which he saw as moral injustices supported by the U.S. government.
Why was Thoreau arrested and jailed for one night?
He refused to pay his poll tax for six years as a protest against a government that sanctioned slavery and waged war on Mexico.
How did Thoreau get released from jail?
Someone (likely his aunt) interfered and paid the tax on his behalf, though Thoreau did not ask them to.
What did Thoreau do immediately after being released from jail the next morning?
He finished an errand at the shoemaker's to pick up a mended shoe, then joined a huckleberry-picking party on a nearby hill.
What does Thoreau compare government to at the beginning of the essay?
An expedient -- useful but often inexpedient, like a standing army that can be abused by a few individuals to serve their own purposes.
What is Thoreau's view on majority rule?
He argues majorities rule not because they are right but because they are physically strongest, and that conscience, not majority vote, should determine right and wrong.
How does Thoreau categorize the three ways people serve the state?
With their bodies (soldiers, jailers -- as machines), with their heads (legislators, politicians -- often amoral), or with their consciences (reformers and patriots -- who necessarily resist the state).
What does Thoreau say is the 'true place for a just man' under a government that imprisons unjustly?
A prison -- the only place where a free person can live with honor in a state that sanctions injustice.
What does Thoreau mean by 'Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine'?
When government requires you to be an agent of injustice, you should break the law and resist, using your life as opposition to the unjust system.
How does Thoreau describe his night in jail?
As a novel experience that gave him a closer view of his native town, comparing Concord to a medieval village on the Rhine and feeling he saw its institutions clearly for the first time.
Who was Thoreau's cellmate, and what was he accused of?
A man reputed to be clever who was accused of burning a barn; he had likely fallen asleep drunk in a barn while smoking his pipe.
What metaphor does Thoreau use to describe the state's power over individuals?
He compares the state to a highwayman demanding 'Your money or your life,' arguing it confronts only a person's body, not their intellect or moral sense.
How does Thoreau view voting as a form of political action?
He calls it a 'sort of gaming' that merely expresses a feeble wish for the right to prevail, without any real moral commitment or effective action.
What does Thoreau argue about the relationship between wealth and virtue?
The more money a person has, the less virtue, because wealth insulates them from moral questions and makes them dependent on the institutions that made them rich.
Why does Thoreau criticize those who oppose slavery in opinion but take no action?
He says they are merely 'patrons of virtue' who hesitate, petition, and wait for others to act, giving only a cheap vote rather than risking anything themselves.
What philosopher does Thoreau critique for basing civil obligation solely on expediency?
William Paley, whom Thoreau argues fails to consider cases where justice demands action regardless of convenience or cost.
What political figure does Thoreau criticize near the end of the essay, and why?
Daniel Webster, whom he calls the 'Defender of the Constitution' but criticizes for defending slavery as part of the original compact rather than opposing it on moral grounds.
What does Thoreau envision as the next step beyond democracy?
A state that recognizes the individual as a higher and independent power from which government derives its authority, treating each person with full respect.
What is Thoreau's definition of a 'peaceable revolution'?
If a thousand citizens refused to pay their taxes, it would be a nonviolent revolution -- unlike paying taxes, which enables the state to commit violence and shed innocent blood.
How does Thoreau use the analogy of friction and machines throughout the essay?
He compares government to a machine whose friction (minor injustice) can be tolerated, but when injustice becomes the machine's purpose, citizens must act as counter-friction to stop it.
What role does the tax-gatherer play in Thoreau's argument?
The tax-gatherer is the only direct representative of government Thoreau encounters, making tax refusal the simplest and most effectual way to deny the state's authority.
What does Thoreau mean by 'any man more right than his neighbors constitutes a majority of one already'?
A single person acting on moral principle has more authority than any numerical majority, because moral rightness does not depend on popular support.
What is the significance of the Mexican-American War in the essay?
Thoreau uses it as a prime example of government abuse -- a war driven by a few powerful individuals using the government as their tool, to which the people never consented.
What literary device does Thoreau employ when he describes soldiers marching 'against their wills, against their common sense and consciences'?
Irony -- those who enforce the state's will are themselves morally opposed to its actions, reduced from men to 'small movable forts and magazines.'
What does the word 'expedient' mean in the context of Thoreau's essay?
Something useful or convenient for achieving a practical purpose, though not necessarily morally right -- Thoreau argues government is merely expedient, not just.
What does 'alacrity' mean as Thoreau uses it?
Eager willingness or readiness -- Thoreau says government furthers enterprise only by the alacrity with which it gets out of the way.
What does Thoreau mean by 'inexpedient' when describing governments?
Not serving their intended purpose; counterproductive -- he argues most governments are usually inexpedient, hindering rather than helping the people they claim to serve.
How did Thoreau's jail experience change his view of his neighbors?
He saw that their friendship was 'for summer weather only' -- they would not risk their property or comfort for justice, and were a 'distinct race' from him in their prejudices.
What is the central argument of 'Civil Disobedience'?
When government acts unjustly, individuals have a moral duty to refuse compliance -- conscience must take precedence over law, even at personal cost.