"How does it become a man to behave towards the American government today? I answer, that he cannot without disgrace be associated with it"

Henry David Thoreau's quote suggests that it is not possible for a male to associate himself with the American federal government without feeling a sense of pity. This suggests that the American federal government is not acting in a way that is honorable or respectable. Thoreau is suggesting that the American federal government is not measuring up to its ideals and is not offering its people with the rights and flexibilities that it should. He is implying that the government is not acting in a manner that is beneficial to its residents and is instead acting in a way that is detrimental to them. Thoreau is suggesting that it is not possible for a man to be related to the American government without feeling a sense of disgrace. He is suggesting that the American federal government is not measuring up to its pledges and is not supplying its citizens with the rights and liberties that it should.