Question

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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?
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 bend it to his will. It is a sort of wooden gun to the people
themselves...
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.

Answer 1

In 'Civil Disobedience', Thoreau supports the transcendentalist idea of the individual being more important than government or society through his emphasis on personal identity, principles, and conscience.

Step-by-step explanation:

The two sentences in this excerpt from 'Civil Disobedience' by Henry David Thoreau that support the transcendentalist idea that the individual is more important than government or society are:

1. I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. Thoreau asserts that individuals should prioritize their own identity and principles over being subservient to the government.
2. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right. Thoreau emphasizes the importance of an individual's personal judgment and conscience in determining their actions, rather than blindly following government laws.

These sentences highlight Thoreau's belief in individual autonomy and the moral duty to act according to one's own conscience, which are key tenets of transcendentalism.

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