Based on "civil disobedience," what statement did thoreau, like his modern-day successors, hope to make with his imprisonment? a. he wanted to show the great unfairness of the prison system. b. he wanted to prove himself as a martyr for his cause. c. he wanted to suggest that one should be willing to go to great lengths for a belief. d. he wanted to suggest that imprisonment was the only valid form of political protest.

Based on "Civil Disobedience," Thoreau wanted to suggest that one should be willing to go to great lengths for a belief. Henry David Thoreau is known for his essay entitled "Civil Disobedience".  

EXPLANATION

Thoreau stated that a person was obliged to break the law if his conscience says that the law is unfair. "Breaking the law means that you provide a better life for yourself" (Thoreau, P. 18). Thoreau was different from other Americans who fully believe in the law. However, Thoreau did not necessarily encourage people to become criminals. Thoreau said that a criminal is a person who violates the law and will not be responsible for his crime. He just advised someone not to obey the unfair laws, so that everyone could realize that, he was not obeying the law because the law is not fair.

Thus, someone must be prepared to accept the consequences that occur because of actions that do not comply with the law. Thoreau assured that people must be willing to go to jail if they wanted to make changes to the unfair laws. Thoreau went to prison not merely for not paying his taxes, but because he believed that the government was using the money for things that were not right.

This is a way that according to Henry Thoreau could change laws that are considered unfair. Thus, the case will be lifted, people will be aware, and a revolution/reform will occur.

LEARN MORE

If you’re interested in learning more about this topic, we recommend you to also take a look at the following questions:

• Considering "Civil Disobedience," why did both Thoreau and Martin Luther King, Jr. engage in acts of civil disobedience?

KEYWORD: Henry David Thoreau, unfair, law, civil disobedience  

Subject: English

Class: 10 - 12

Subchapter: Civil Disobedience

C. He wanted to suggest that one should be willing to go to great lengths for a belief.

Further Explanation:

Thoreau was one of the great political activists who believed that one should have a firm set of beliefs, and they should be willing to go to any lengths for the purpose of retaining their beliefs. Thoreau was one of the prime advocates of civil disobedience, and he believed that people should obey laws if their conscience permits them to, and not out of fear of the use of force or state-sponsored coercion. This was one of the main features of civil disobedience, which involved a peaceful negation of laws, that were usually of a regressive nature. However, the observance of civil disobedience should not be in a manner that would allow criminals to commit a wanton crime and violate laws, without regard for society’s safety under the garb of civil disobedience. It should mainly apply to regressive laws.  

Thoreau goes further to explain that the observance of civil disobedience as a form of protest comes with its own sacrifices that one has to be prepared to endure. Since it borders on an extremist method of protest by rejecting the existing framework of laws, the state would bring together all of its resources to suppress the dissenters. Thus Thoreau believes that observance of Civil disobedience is not for the weak, rather it takes a great deal of physical and mental courage to withstand to one’s beliefs. Thus one should be prepared to go to jail and suffer for its cause if the circumstances arise.

Learn more:

1. Which issue did the supreme court answer in the case of Duncan v. Louisiana?

2. How were the governments of Japan and Italy similar in the 1930s? check all that apply.

Answer Details:

Grade: High School

Chapter: Civil disobedience movement.

Subject: History

Keywords:

Civil disobedience, political activism, observance of laws, belief, unlawful laws.

that’s the kind of bug henry was; and if we’d a had him along ’stead of our kings, he’d a fooled that town a heap worse than ourn done.”

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