What does "Civil Disobedience" suggest about the public opinion of tax evasion in Thoreau's time? Tax evasion was only a moderate crime. The evasion of taxes was considered highly disrespectful to the state. If allowed to continue, tax evasion was a serious offense. Tax evasion was one of the more grave crimes one could commit ...

The correct answer is the third option: if allowed to continue, tax evasion was a serious offense. Tax evasion means not paying your taxes, which, during Thoreau's time, resulted in going to jail. This punishment reflects the idea that tax evasion is a serious offense and that offenders should be treated as criminals. Despite these consequences, Thoreau used tax evasion as a form of civil disobedience. For example, he refused to pay his poll tax during the Mexican War as a way to protest the slavery that was still occurring in the United States. Due to his tax evasion, he went to jail until the poll tax was paid.