Final answer:
Henry David Thoreau's essay 'On the Duty of Civil Disobedience' criticizes taxation that supports immoral actions, such as the Mexican-American War and slavery. Thoreau's principle that 'the government is best which governs not at all' is highlighted, as is his deliberate act of passive resistance by not paying the poll tax, leading to his imprisonment.
Step-by-step explanation:
In the first paragraph of his essay On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, Henry David Thoreau speaks against the specific act of government regarding taxation that supports immoral actions, specifically the Mexican-American War and slavery. Thoreau famously opens his essay with the statement, "that government is best which governs not at all." He believed that his freedom was being overshadowed by government regulations, and as an act of protest, he chose not to pay the poll tax. His refusal to support the government financially because of its engagement in slavery and warfare led to his arrest, but Thoreau accepted his imprisonment as a form of passive resistance. His essay is a direct statement of his belief that under a government that unjustly imprisons, the place for a just man is in that prison as well. This pivotal act and subsequent writing influenced many to think about individual freedom and the power of nonviolent protest against unjust laws.