So far Thoreau seems a bit more clear cut than Emerson, and his views are portrayed in such a way that it isn't overly difficult to read. His most basic stance on civil government is that the best kind is nothing; he believed that the pinnacle of a government is having the least amount of interference as possible in the lives of the citizens. He was virtually an anarchist. However, Thoreau was smart enough to know not to try to push for a radical anarchist shift in the government. He knew that the country just was not ready for it yet.
Also, the other primary point that I saw as I looked over this was his opinion on your responsibility as an American. He actually summed up the common American quite accurately; He said that unless we are sure of being a part of the majority, we will not express out opinions about certain matters. The example that he used was with the American voting system. He basically stated that Americans will not vote for a belief of theirs as long as they feel that they will be defeated. They won't leave their feeling of security. At this moment, these are the only two primary ideas that I see, If there are some that I'm missing, just let me know in the comments
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