Final answer:
Henry David Thoreau criticized majority rule and lawmakers when they upheld tyranny or inefficient governance, as he believed in individual moral resistance to unjust laws. His works 'Civil Disobedience' and 'Walden' emphasize the importance of individual freedom and nonviolent protest. Thoreau felt an individual's only true obligation is to act according to their own conscience.
Step-by-step explanation:
Henry David Thoreau found majority rule and lawmakers problematic because they could enforce unjust or inefficient policies, leading to tyranny or oppression that individuals were morally obligated to resist. This perspective is highlighted in his 1849 essay “On the Duty of Civil Disobedience”, where he argues for the right of individuals to refuse allegiance to and resist the government under such conditions. Similarly, in his 1854 work Walden; or, Life in the Woods, Thoreau stresses living free from societal conventions and governmental restraints to achieve greater individuality and connection with nature.
Thoreau's opposition to the Mexican-American War and slavery led him to refuse to pay his poll tax, resulting in his imprisonment. He viewed this as an act of passive resistance, symbolizing the freedom one could have by disassociating from the majority's decisions which one finds morally wrong. Thoreau felt that the only obligation a person has a right to assume is to do what they believe to be right, even if it goes against the dictate of the majority or the government.