During the 19th century, most Americans did not have Henry David Thoreau’s transcendental philosophies which made him behave as he did. It is likely that he was one of the few people who disagreed with the word of the government and viewed slavery as wrong. In paragraph seven of “Resistance to Civil Government,” Thoreau states that he could not “for an instant recognize [the American] political organization as my government which is the slave’s government also.” From this passage, I theorize that his hatred of enslavement influenced his opposition to the state. Thoreau disagreed with the government’s policies even though they were widely accepted because of the amount of power the state held. Slavery was one of the policies he despised most because he could not understand how one human could own another without feeling guilty about it. He also pitied the state because it allowed people to partake in the act of slavery. Although Thoreau felt as though the government held too much power over its people, he made it clear that they did not show concern for slaves. In fact, the state did nothing to protect them from being wrongfully treated. These situations were some of the main reasons he moved into the woods and lost respect for the government. When I consider his stance on these issues, I begin to question how he developed these modern ideas when they were quite unpopular among other Americans.
To understand Thoreau’s mindset, the reader must look at “Walden” to theorize how his beliefs arose. Although his childhood likely had an impact on his ideologies, the incidents that occurred during his adulthood probably shaped his mindset as well. It is likely that Thoreau quietly declared a war with the state because they implemented unjust laws on their citizens. It is Thoreau’s belief that too much interaction between the state and the people will cause unnecessary conflicts. An example of this is visible in paragraph 25 of “Resistance of Civil Government” when he was “commanded to pay a certain sum toward the support of a clergyman whose preaching [his] father attended, but never [he himself].” He declined to pay, but he found it hard to understand why the state would want him to give them money for something he was not associated with. This instance made him realize the true power of the government. The idea of being regarded as a member of a society which he did not intentionally join bothered him. In his opinion, the state would become more powerful once the people were regarded as independent individuals. Minimal contact between citizens and the government meant that there would be no power struggle between the two. This statement also reflected his stance on slavery. He believed that all people deserved to be viewed as independent powers. This idea did not ring true for slaves because their masters did not give them the opportunity to discover freedom. He expressed this concept in “Walden” as an effort to make the reader realize how much the government imposed on the lives of slaves and free Americans.
Thoreau believed that people can discover their true selves once they are fully disconnected from the government. However, it bothered him that slaves were unable to find themselves under their master’s rule. He felt strongly about this point and found it hard to believe that many Americans did not agree with him. Thoreau understood that the state was unable to advance because of the number of people who were unwilling to part with their senseless ideas. Those who do not accept change make it difficult for our nation to advance. This notion was important to Thoreau during the 1800s and it is still relevant in today’s society. Our nation can only be successful if the government prioritizes equality for every citizen. His opposition to slavery was often disagreed with, but that did not cause him to back down. In his eyes, some laws needed to change to create a better state. His modern viewpoints tend to come across harshly in “Walden,” but they set a standard for how 19th century Americans should have viewed slavery.
The theory that Thoreau’s hatred of slavery influenced his opposition to government is interesting because this idea had the power to influence his entire life. If he had not developed a strong opposition to enslavement, he might not have felt the need to escape to the woods. His view of the government and his rejection of slavery allows the reader to see how advanced Thoreau’s views were for the 19th century. It is necessary to theorize this move because it allows the reader to realize how influential their unpopular opinions could be. When opinions are correctly presented, they have the potential to influence others. While reading other works, it is important to recognize where the author expresses their opinions to find out how they came to develop their beliefs. In moving up a level from the text, the reader begins to gain a stronger understanding of the text and the world around them. This is important to do because independent opinions may arise which can inflict a positive change in society.