Question

22

Select the correct text in the passage.
Which two sentences in this excerpt from "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau support the transcendentalist idea that the individual is more
important than government or society?
Suomt Test
This American government-what is it but a tradition, though a recent one, endeavoring to transmit itself unimpaired to posterity, but each instant
losing some of its integrity? It has not the vitality and force of a single living man; for a single man can berid it to his will. It is a sort of wooden gun to
the people themselves...
Reset
But a government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice, even as far as men understand it. Can there not be a government in
which majorities do not virtually decide right and wrong, but conscience?-in which majorities decide only those questions to which the rule of
expediency is applicable? Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislation? Why has every man a
conscience, then? I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the
right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right. It is truly enough said that a corporation has no
conscience, but a corporation of conscientious men is a corporation with a conscience.
Next
Reader Tools
● Info
Savei

Answer 1

In this passage from " Civil Disobedience " , Thoreau supports the transcendentalist idea that the individual is more important than government or society through two key sentences.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this excerpt from "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau, the transcendentalist idea that the individual is more important than government or society is supported by two sentences:

1. "Why has every man a conscience, then?" Thoreau argues that every individual has a conscience, which implies that individuals have their own sense of right and wrong.
2. "I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward." Thoreau suggests that individuals should prioritize their own humanity before being subject to government or society.

These sentences emphasize the belief that individuals should follow their own moral compass and not blindly conform to the laws or expectations set by the government or society.

Learn more about Transcendentalism