What distinction does Henry David Thoreau make between the government and the people?

Thoreau believed that the liberty of the individual transcended that of the state. In the opening paragraph, he expresses his political sentiments by stating that the most ideal form of government is one which exercises the least power and control over its citizens. He then pushes this line of thinking to its logical limit by envisioning a society without government, as men have the capacity to be self-regulating and independent. The implied dissolution of the State is as much an expression of Thoreau's idealism, a utopic vision that cannot be realistically achieved, as it is the theoretical endpoint of the way societies develop and evolve. From the text, we can infer that Thoreau determined to state his point before addressing his own circumstances.