Thoreau civil disobedience Essay Example For Students

Thoreau civil disobedience Essay In Civil Disobedience, why does Thoreau refuse to pay his poll tax? In Thoreaus essay Resistance to Civil Government, Henry David Thoreau outlines a utopian society in which each individual would be responsible for governing himself. His opposition to a centralized government is an effort to disassociate with the American government, which at the time was supporting slavery and unjustly invading Mexico. While the individual rule would work well for Thoreau who is a man of conscience, it does not account for the immoral, dishonest or overly ambitious people in the nation. Resistance to Civil Government is a work of political philosophy where Thoreau lays out a plan for the way he believes the American government and society should be structured. The essay discusses the relation between the individual and society. We will write a custom essay on Thoreau civil disobedience specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now This essay acts as a plea for individuals to follow their conscience when civil law causes a conflict. Thoreau calls for a conscious rebellion to bring about a radical change in the American constitution; a revolution against the American government. This notion of peaceable revolution is the moral center of this essay. By refusing to pay taxes he is not objecting the taxes specific use, he is refusing allegiance to the state as a whole. Thoreau does not advocate complete defiance of democracy with his protest as he willingly accepts the consequences of breaking the law. Because Thoreau chooses his integrity over compliance he feels freer in jail than the people outside who follow the law like sheep rather than thinking and acting for themselves. He accepts the consequence of imprisonment for not paying his lawful tax, believing that by being imprisoned he is forcing the government to consider whether he is in the right by practicing civil disobedience. Thoreau wishes to be separate from the American government because it supports slavery. Thoreau chastises the government. Thoreau pictures a utopian society where a persons conscience is a higher rule than that of the law. In Thoreaus utopia, government would only have the rights the individual allows it to possess, however a person under this government could deny the right to enforce consequences to that government, leaving him free to partake in evil or immoral actions without repercussions. Thoreau seems to believe that if people are given the chance to govern their lives by their conscience they would always do what is right by their conscience. .

Primary and secondary research Essay Example

Primary and secondary research Essay Example Primary and secondary research Essay Primary and secondary research Essay Many options would be available to an individual wishing to undertake some research and all involve the use of what is termed primary and secondary research. What is Primary Research? Primary research involves the collection and analysis of raw data through surveys, experiments, interviews etc. The data are analysed and the results or findings are then discussed and evaluated. New knowledge is produced, because the researcher gathers new information through direct investigation. What is Secondary Research? Secondary research is based on reading and it is sometimes called library research. It involves reading what other researchers have written about the issues involved in a topic. The arguments of these researchers are compared and evaluated and conclusions are drawn. This is often called synthesising. New knowledge is produced, because the researcher synthesises the arguments of other researchers to draw a new conclusion. A cross sectional study is based upon the investigation of people at a particular moment in time, for example, finding out different peoples opinions about the coming war. Longitudinal Research Longitudinal research studies individuals or groups over a period of time and even in some cases over years, for example studying the development of a baby from birth to six months. The problem with longitudinal studies in the time required to complete them, for example the person you are carrying out your study on may die. When researching you must be careful not to copy the other persons work. Plagiarism is the direct copying of someone elses work and is against copyright law, however it is possible to use someone elses work as long as the original author is acknowledged