Name:______________________________________________ Date:____________________________ Period:________
“Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau
Preview: In this classic essay, Thoreau describes the highest duty of good citizens. They must do what they think is
right, even at the cost of going to jail. Written more than a century ago, this essay still stirs the mind and the heart.
Thoreau’s message inspired Martin Luther King, Jr. who led the civil rights crusade in the 1950s and 1960s.
Read the “Build Background” and “Focus your Reading” sections on page 369.
Passage 1: Lines 1-24 (pages 370-371)
Focus: Thoreau begins his essay by explaining his views on government. Read to find out whether he favors more
government or less government.
1. Thoreau favors MORE – LESS government. (Circle the correct choice and mark out the incorrect choice.)
2. List two details from the text that support your choice.
3. A standing government is one that stays in power over time. Which phrase below is true to Thoreau’s views about
such a government? A standing government _____________________________.
A. Always reflects the people’s will
B. governs little or not at all
C. can be a tool of dishonest citizens.
Passage 2: Lines 25-64 (pages 371-372)
Focus: Thoreau wanted to limit the power of the majority so that individuals could follow their conscience. Read to find
out why the individual conscience is so important to him.
4. Which phrase below BEST completes the following sentence: According to Thoreau, his highest duty as a citizen is to
____________________.
A. follow the majority rule
B. do what he thinks is right
C. obey the way
Justify your choice below with proof from this passage. Find at least one quote to support your idea and explain why it
supports your choice.
5. Reread the entire sentence beginning on line 45 that starts with “A common and natural result…” The soldiers
marching off to war respect THE LAW – THEIR CONSCIENCE more than anything else. (circle one and mark out the
incorrect answer)
Passage 3: Lines 65-82 (pages 372-373)
Focus: Thoreau describes three ways citizens can serve the state: with their bodies, with their heads, and with their
conscience. As you read look for details that explain these three ways.
4. Think about the details you noticed. Thoreau favors serving the state with your BODY – MIND – CONSCIENCE (circle
one). Why does Thoreau favor serving the state with this?
5. Imagine you are Thoreau. Which one of the following groups would you say is serving the state in the best way?
A. police officers who arrest dangerous criminals
B. students who protest against an unfair law
C. judges who sentence lawbreakers to jail
Passage 4: Lines 83-114 (page 373)
Focus: The government does not value reformers. Read to find out how the government treats reformers and how
citizens should respond to unjust laws.
6. Summarize lines 89-99 starting with the sentence, “But it is the fault of the government…”
7. Thoreau says that if a certain condition applies, a citizen should break the law. What words or phrase from this
passage support this idea.
8. In Thoreau’s time it was legal to own slaves. Can you think of other examples of laws that allow injustice? Name one
example below and explain why you think it is unjust.
Passage 5: Lines 115-177 (pages 373-375)
Focus: A citizen can protest government policy by not paying taxes. Thoreau believes that citizens should be willing to
go to jail to protest unjust policies. Read to find out why he believes such extremes are needed.
9. Thoreau says that he denies the government through its representative. Who is that representative?
10. What would happen to slavery if even one honest person were to go to jail as a form of protest?
Write the lines from this essay that support this answer.
11. “Under a government which imprison any unjustly, the true place for a man is also in prison” (374). Restate
Thoreau’s words in your own below.
12. Which TWO phrases below are true to Thoreau’s views of a “peaceable revolution” (circle the correct answers)
A. involves breaking the law
C. is lead by the majority
B. never causes bloodshed
D. is based on conscience
Passage 6: Lines 178-225 (Pages 375-376)
Focus: Read to find out about Thoreau’s experience in jail. Look for details that help you understand his attitude toward
this experience.
13. Reread lines 187-192 beginning with the sentence, “I saw that, if there was a wall…” Restate Thoreau’s idea in your
own words.
14. Thoreau was put in jail because _____________________________________________________________________
15. What details from the text support demonstrate Thoreau’s attitude about his experience in jail?
Write a one sentence summary that summarizes Thoreau’s feelings about his experience in jail.
16. Reread the last six lines of the essay (lines 220-225). Both the acorn and the chestnut obey the laws of nature. They
fall to the ground, where each tries to take root, grow, and develop into a tree. What does this example suggest about
Thoreau himself?
17. Clearly, the theme topic of this essay is _______________________________________________.
Write a theme statement below that you feel best summarizes Thoreau’s view on this topic.