Final answer:
Thoreau was critical of government, emphasizing the right to resist injustice and the importance of individual freedom over majority rule. He expressed these views in his works 'Civil Disobedience' and 'Walden,' inspiring global civil rights movements.
Step-by-step explanation:
Henry David Thoreau's view on government suggests that he was critical of the idea that 'might makes right,' expressing concerns that a government ruled by the majority could oppress individual rights and freedoms. Thoreau believed in the principle of resistance to authority when it became unjust and held that individual freedom should not be compromised by government interference. This view is depicted in his 1849 political essay "On the Duty of Civil Disobedience" where he states, "All men recognize the right of revolution; that is, the right to refuse allegiance to, and to resist, the government, when its tyranny or its inefficiency are great and unendurable." He also highlighted the importance of nature and simple living as gateways to greater individuality in his 1854 book Walden; or Life in the Woods. Thoreau's ideas have inspired movements on nonviolence and civil rights worldwide, influencing figures like Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.