Question

What is civil disobedience and how did henry david thoreau practice it in the 1840s?

Answer 1

Answer: Civil disobedience is the deliberate refusal to obey certain laws or government directives as a form of peaceful protest against perceived injustices or unethical policies. Henry David Thoreau practiced civil disobedience in the 1840s as a way of protesting against slavery and the Mexican-American War. He refused to pay his poll tax and spent a night in jail as a result, arguing that the government was using his tax money to support policies that he opposed. Thoreau believed that individuals had a moral duty to disobey unjust laws and that this was a necessary means of promoting change and reform in society. His essay "Civil Disobedience" has been influential in the development of nonviolent resistance movements around the world.

Step-by-step explanation:

Answer 2

Thoreau argued that the government must end its unjust actions to earn the right to collect taxes from its citizens. As long as the government commits unjust actions, he continued, conscientious individuals must choose whether to pay their taxes or to refuse to pay them and defy the government.