Henry David Thoreau detested slavery and felt a government that allowed it was immoral. He refused to pay his taxes because he could not accept a government which continued to support slavery. He believed this to be the disgrace.
Thoreau believed that each man was only responsible for doing what he believed was right. However, during the time, the government was using citizens to fight a war. It used them as tools rather than citizens. So any soldier participating in the war was not abiding by his own moral but following orders from the government.
The representative of the government that Thoreau meets once a year is the tax collector. Thoreau encounters him as part of his protest against the Mexican-American War and slavery, refusing to pay taxes to a government that supports these injustices.
To draw attention to what the American people do that the government doesn't
The Mexican-American War :)
In "Resistance to Civil Government," Thoreau criticizes the institution of government for practicing unjust policies such as slavery, the Mexican-American War, and the enforcement of unjust laws. He argues that individuals should resist supporting such actions through passive resistance and civil disobedience. Thoreau advocates for individual conscience and moral principles as the foundation for just governance.
the american people are generally wiser than the government
Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were the two writers most closely associated with Transcendentalism.
slavery
The quote "The government is best which governs least" is attributed to Henry David Thoreau, an American essayist and philosopher, known for his writings on civil disobedience and individualism. Thoreau believed in minimal interference from the government in the lives of the people.
Writers associated with the American Renaissance include Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Herman Melville. These writers were part of a literary movement in the mid-19th century that focused on American themes of individualism, nature, and the search for truth.
He asked for a better government at once.
Thoreau's audience for "Civil Disobedience" was primarily the American public in the 19th century, particularly those who were concerned about the role of government in society. The essay was meant to inspire individuals to question the authority of the government and encourage them to stand up for their beliefs through nonviolent resistance.