Question

Based on Thoreau’s beliefs and "Civil Disobedience," he most likely decided not to pay poll tax because
he could not afford to pay taxes.
he disagreed with the idea of it.
he did not understand the law.
he wanted to experience prison.


Read the excerpt from a letter Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote while imprisoned in Birmingham Jail in 1963.

One who breaks an unjust law must do so openly, lovingly, and with a willingness to accept the penalty.

Based on his behavior in "Civil Disobedience," how would Thoreau most likely feel about King’s statement?
He would believe that his reasons and King’s reasons for protest were completely unrelated.
He would disagree with King’s belief that one must accept the penalty for political protest.
He would believe that King did not understand the nature of political protest.
He would agree with King that one should engage in political protest peacefully.



Based on Thoreau’s opinion about the Mexican-American War and slavery in the United States, why did he most likely refuse to pay the poll taxes, as described in "Civil Disobedience"?
He desired to learn more about the government.
He wanted to expose fraud in the government.
He supported the government’s position.
He disagreed with the government’s actions.

Answer 1

1) he disagreed with the idea of it.
Thoreau refused to pay the poll tax as a moral protest against slavery and the Mexican–American War, not for inability or ignorance.

2) He would agree with King that one should engage in political protest peacefully.
Thoreau practiced nonviolent civil disobedience and accepted jail as the consequence of his protest.

3) He disagreed with the government’s actions.
Thoreau objected to the government’s conduct (the war and support of slavery) and refused to support it by paying the tax.