It can have no pure right over my person and property but what I concede to it (Civil Disobedience (http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/authors/thoreau/civil/)."

He believed that the government should respect and bow to the people that elected its officers. According to Thoreau dissent should take place by way of refusal to pay taxes as the taxes are what line the pockets of those who are elected by the people and then do not obey the wishes of those people.

Thoreau argues that until the government recognizes the power of the individual voter over its massive head, and acts accordingly, with respect, then people should stop paying taxes.

The philosophy of Thoreau in his Civil Disobedience work carries through to current political issues as well. People who are not happy with the elected officials in government believe that those elected officials need to realize that they work for those they are ignoring.

In addition,...
[ View Full Essay]