Henry David Thoreau's Definition Of A Better Government

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Throughout his essay Henry David Thoreau endeavors to enlighten the American people about “a better government” and constantly refers to the phrase “A better government” but what he means by it. Thoreau has a very opinionated idea of what he thinks a government should be and he alludes several times to what he thinks a better government should and how to be that better government, yet his definition of the perfect government alters slightly each time. The first time he mentions anything about “a better government” is in the very first sentence to his essay where he states, “That government is best which governs least”. By this he means a government that is the best government is one that doesn’t govern at all. However, Thoreau also mentions, …show more content…
To Thoreau the Government has removed the people’s conscience, they have removed their natural rights. They have made it so that the people simply do as their told. The people responsible for the corruption are the selfish and corrupt politicians who use their money to live a comfortable life, one where they don’t have to do much, and they don’t care if people suffer. Thoreau uses the issue of the Mexican American war to show how the government doesn’t care who it hurts, it invaded Mexico and started a war with them because they wanted what Mexico had, and Thoreau believes that if taxes were the reason for the American Revolution against the British then there is more than enough cause for another revolution, yet the people don’t do anything about it. The people have a conscience yet they refuse to use it, and that is the reason for a government such as the one is power in Thoreau’s story, the fact the people are able to be pushed around and ordered what to do is more than just not using the government, Thoreau believes that the government has removed the collective conscience of their people, causing them to act in such a docile state. Yet, he thinks the government, any government would be able to remedy that by lacing the
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