FSOT: 500 Test Prep Study Questions

Category - U.S. Society & Culture

American writer Henry David Thoreau wrote that if a law "requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then I say, break the law." What idea is Thoreau supporting?
  1. Anarchy
  2. Marxism
  3. Violent opposition
  4. Free speech
  5. Civil disobedience
Explanation

Answer: E - Civil disobedience

Henry David Thoreau's essay "Civil Disobedience" (also known as "Resistance to Civil Government") argues that individuals have a moral duty to disobey unjust laws and governments. Thoreau believed that people should not allow governments to overrule or undermine their consciences and that they have a responsibility to avoid participating in or supporting such injustice. He argued that if enough people refuse to comply with unjust laws, the government will be forced to change them or to repeal them altogether.

Thoreau's ideas about civil disobedience have been influential in shaping modern concepts of nonviolent resistance and civil rights. He argued that people should not use violence to oppose unjust laws, but rather should use noncooperation and other nonviolent means to resist. Many civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King Jr., have cited Thoreau's ideas as an inspiration for their own work.

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