Part one
Henry David Thoreaus Civil Disobedience is a groundbreaking essay written during the American Renaissance in protest of the Mexican War, influencing major public figures during the twentieth century from Leo Tolstoy to Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. Please read the essay and write a brief summary. According to Thoreau, what is the best kind of government? What is the metaphor Thoreau uses at the end and his final message? Do you disagree or agree with his arguments? (need the attachment)
Part two
Even though Americans idealized freedom since the countrys inception, the nation condoned the enslavement of nearly 4 million people up to 1860. What was the main tenets of the American slavery system? What made this system peculiar? Why did southerners defend the institution, whether or not they had slaves, rich or poor, or lived on large plantations or small farms? What was the relationship between the masters and slaves? While slave rebellions were rare, why were they important?