Preview

Contrasting the Declaration of Independance and Civil Disobedience

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
324 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Contrasting the Declaration of Independance and Civil Disobedience
It is ironic that Jefferson, writer of the "Declaration of Independence," died 20 years prior to Thoreau even writing "Civil Disobedience." The two author's works contain numerous parallel discussions about government corruption and the immoral act of slavery.
In the "Declaration of Independence" the colonies are just beginning to rebel against Britain, the King had so much power over their lives that they couldn't do as much as buy tea and not be taxed for it. Jefferson wrote that if government doesn't grant the people their rights, or if the government gets too powerful, "it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government." So they did, they broke away and gained freedom. In Thoreau's day the King is not a threat anymore, instead the hierarchy being criticized is the US Government. Thoreau believed and stated, "That government is best which governs not at all." By this he insinuates that governments should not be in a citizen's everyday life because frankly, if anything, the government is in the way. The whole idea of independence was so the people could have a hand in America. Thoreau wants a society shaped by American individuals, not one big government mold. Both Jefferson's "Declaration of Independence" and Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" show an obvious protest against slavery. Jefferson openly points his finger towards the King saying what a horrible injustice it is to take humans and sell them as property. Thoreau shows distaste in the matter too by refusing to pay taxes which would otherwise fund slavery. On the whole it is amazing to find such similarities between documents written years apart. Jefferson's "Declaration of Independence" and Thoreau's "Civil Disobedience" express the importance of a low-key, yet functional, government. And both share the idea that a human being's integrity should be cherished and not taken away because of

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence was an important political figure among the thirteen colonies. He was outspoken against the British’s rule over America and an incredible writer, that’s why they picked him to write the document. Thomas Jefferson, being a proud patriot wanted his independence but none the less would still be civil and respectful to the king while stating facts to support the colonies case for independence. During the time it was written, Brittain was abusing their power over the colonies with different kinds of taxes over basic goods like stamps and tea. The colonists were frustrated that they could be taxed without having a say in the government that was taxing them. Thomas Jefferson wrote out…

    • 393 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The essay Civil Disobedience, written by Henry David Thoreau has much to do with Thoreau’s own experiences than a general perception of people as a whole. Thoreau, a stellar student from Harvard believed one key idea: change begins with the individual. With this belief Thoreau in 1846 spoke out against the Mexican American War and slavery. His response resulted in the deliberate obliviousness to his taxes. In July of 1846 Thoreau was arrested for not paying his taxes and spent a night in Jail. During this time Thoreau wrote about the laws enforced by the government must be based on conscience rather than majority appeal.…

    • 647 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    These two documents of Jefferson and Lincoln’s are different in more ways than they are similar. More specifically, the clear difference between the two in organization and contradiction of arguments that each expresses are what show that the Gettysburg Address and the Declaration of Independence were two documents written on completely different ends of the spectrum. Because of this, the two are just as significant to each other as they are individually to the construction and shaping of America and its rich history. The fact that these two documents are so different from one another is what makes them such great pieces of history. Jefferson’s idea of decentralization and freedom versus Lincoln’s theory of one centralized, unified, and indivisible nation and government represents the change and difference of opinion between two people of different eras in American history. This change and difference of opinion was the result of a growing country and is what was needed in order to build it and develop it into the country that it is today.…

    • 301 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    “The Declaration of Independence,” written by Thomas Jefferson, is a statement adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. “The Origin of Civil Society” is an article written by Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Jefferson writes about human rights because all men shall be equal and free; Rousseau writes about social contracts because by understanding the concepts of social contracts, the people will live with better security and significance. By analyzing these two articles, readers can see how important it is for a writer to understand the concepts from previous generation of writers, how much Rousseau’s ideas have influenced Jefferson’s statement, and how Jefferson has expanded Rousseau’s concepts.…

    • 845 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When talking about The Declaration of Independance, you can’t fail to mention the reasoning behind this important document of American history. It all began when the original thirteen colonies wanted their independence from Great Britain. This lead to a war, known as the American Revolution. It was a long fight for freedom that lasted eight years. However, a little bit over a year into war, Continental Congress appointed five men to draft a formal statement that will later become know as The Declaration of Independance. These five men were Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston. Even though this was a joint committee of five men, Thomas Jefferson mainly wrote most of The Declaration of Independence.…

    • 319 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Henry David Thoreau and Frederick Douglass had two very different ideas of protest. Thoreau’s idea was passive and done individually. Douglass’s idea was active and also done individually. Frederick Douglass was trying to expose the horrible aspects of slavery and Henry David Thoreau was protesting slavery and against the government. However, Frederick Douglass’s idea of protest was better and more effective.…

    • 1150 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Thoreau immediately attacks the American government as weak and useless in the opening paragraphs of his essay. Thoreau states that "This American government… is a sort of wooden gun to the people themselves; and, if ever they should use it in earnest as a real one against each other, it will surely split" (1). This metaphor makes the complex idea that the all-powerful American government is actually feeble and fragile, because everyone knows that…

    • 396 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    When a government is unjust it represents the people and their actions. How can they give up their rights when the government is not benefiting the people? An unjust government is a disgrace and Thoreau will not stand for it; and to change this the government must be protested. They ignore minorities and do not give them the same advantages as others. How can the United States be free if the government is…

    • 351 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Something I found interesting was the group of signers on each document. I found that there were only a few men who signed both documents. This shows the contrast between the Hamilton Federalism and the Jeffersonian republicanism, which separates the two documents. The Declaration is a perspective on a government that is focused on individual rights of the people. The constitution is seen more as an organization of government, giving it some system.…

    • 304 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Thoreau's utopian government is one, which enforces very few parameters. "I heartily accept the motto, 'That government is best which governs least'" "I believe--'That government is best which governs not at all'; and when men are prepared for it, that will be the kind of government which they will have " (On Duty of Civil Disobedience.) Thoreau makes it clear that all men should oppose every unjust law or guideline, which contradicts the conscience within each citizen who is under the government's control.…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Thomas Jefferson may have written the Declaration of Independence, but he could not have accomplished such a feat without the help of Thomas Paine and John Locke. Both Locke and Paine were some of the most influential men in the early years of American history. Paine wrote Common Sense, a pamphlet that challenged the rule of the American colonies by England. Locke wrote “Two Treatises of Government.” The second treatise was the most influential to the Declaration and it is focused on the Theory of Civil Society. These are the men that gave early American colonists the drive to independence and made America what it is today.…

    • 876 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Perspective is everything. I used to think context was more important, but now I have doubts. Frederick Douglass voiced the obvious problem with celebrating the "birth of an independent nation" in the Declaration of Independence. But of course, many of the signors, the very writer, of this document was a slaveholder. That the landed gentry could live such hypocrisy is horrifying, but no longer surprising to me. Douglass said out loud what they must have felt and known, but denied. Such is the life of the powerful. The declaration document is ruling class-centric and the makers were as well. Even as Jefferson pled for rights to the people, against many of his federalist contemporaries, he was living the lie. Douglass relies the use of…

    • 187 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    In Civil Disobedience, Thoreau expresses his strong disapproval of the American government. He even makes the following statement: "the best government is the one that governs the least." This quote shows us that Thoreau really does have a strong dislike for the government and that he will rebel against it. Thoreau does in fact rebel against the government by not paying his taxes. This causes him to suffer one night in jail. In his isolation, he is able to think, and concludes that he would rather be in jail than out in the real world.…

    • 418 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Banneker Essay

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Americans live and fight for their unalienable rights today, just as they did when Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, setting all men equal. By 1791 slavery became a major issue in the nation, causing Benjamin Banneker to question if the rights still ring true. In his persuasive letter to Thomas Jefferson himself, Banneker urges Jefferson to take a stand against slavery through the use of emotional appeal, loaded words, and mixed syntax proving that one can overcome prejudice when fighting for a common cause.…

    • 736 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The laws and regulations that have been set on our country are primarily what the government see as appealing to the American public. Much like in the Mexican American War which Thoreau referes to show that the majority is capable of taking over authority. In the essay he also referes to slavery to prove the same point. In Civil Disobedience Henry David Thoreau's argument that the American people should question the government and it's authority is logical because it shows that the public has more of a say and that the actions of the men fighting show more American customs than the actual government.…

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays