Final answer:
Henry David Thoreau believed that governments should minimize interference in individuals' lives and that people have the right to resist an unjust government. His writings support the idea that a government should be limited and always serve the consensually granted interests of the governed.
Step-by-step explanation:
Henry David Thoreau's opinion about governments is rooted in his belief in individual freedom and his disdain for the interference of the government in the lives of citizens. Thoreau posited that a government is best which governs least, allowing people the greatest freedom while tending to their needs without being overbearing. His works, "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" and "Walden; or, Life in the Woods," express his philosophical stance that people have the right to resist authority and government when it becomes unjust or inefficient, thereby advocating for civil disobedience as a form of resisting governmental control.
Thoreau was inspired by the ideal that governments are instituted among men, deriving their powers from the consent of the governed, as suggested by the Declaration of Independence. He argued that when any form of government becomes destructive of an individual's unalienable rights to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it. Therefore, while he recognized the role of governments, he firmly believed in the right of the individuals to challenge and refuse allegiance to government when it does not serve the public's interests.