2026 NBCT AYA Social Studies Complete Practice Test

Authority for Thoreau comes from moral legitimacy, not from merely wielding power. He argues there is a higher law than government statutes, and people must follow their conscience when laws conflict with justice. Because of that, a government that enforces policies that violate personal morality loses its rightful authority to govern. Civil disobedience embodies his view that individuals should resist unjust laws rather than blindly obey them. He didn’t argue that one must obey every law regardless of morality, nor did he emphasize economic reform as the main idea. So the statement that government that violates individual morality has no legitimate authority best captures his perspective.