In one of the great quirks of MCLA, I actually had the Thoreau reading due for the same week in two different classes: here in Civil Disobedience and for my History of American Radicalism as well. So, I thought I'd briefly explore civil disobedience in an American context.
Throughout my Radicalism class, though not ascribing to American exceptionalism, we looked at some unique factors that contributed to America's maverick streak. European Enlightenment concepts took somewhat of a twist when they were brought to America. Individual liberty was skewed often into wariness of the government. As a result, it has been in the American psyche ever since to resist government. This anti-government sentiment was extolled in conflicts such as Shays' Rebellion in Massachusetts and the Whiskey Rebellion in Pennsylvania.
So, though not directly related to these violent concepts, and even though Thoreau wants a working government, he is still wary of the results of government. Therefore, when looking at America's radical tradition, the concepts that Thoreau writes about make perfect sense in the scope of American history.
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