Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862), one of the great figures of American literature before the Civil War, has taken on near mythical status in the twentieth century. A leader of the transcendentalist movement during the mid-nineteenth century, Thoreau was a spokesperson for the value of the individual and natural living in contrast to the growing materialism of his day. After graduating from Harvard in 1837, he taught school for a time and worked in a small pencil-making business run by his family. In 1845 Thoreau, in part to write but also to prove that a person need not depend on society for a fulfilling existence, built a cabin at Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts. He built on property owned by his friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson. The notes he took during his two years’ stay later became a book, Walden (1854), which made the hut and pond immortal. The book assails the social behavior of the average American and condemns unthinking conformity.

During his stay at Walden, Thoreau was arrested and jailed for refusing to pay his poll tax (a "head" tax on all men between twenty and seventy). He was extremely upset when someone paid his tax, releasing him after one night. Thoreau had hoped that his imprisonment would bring attention to his reasons for refusing to pay, which included the government’s sanction of slavery and the Mexican War. His essay "Civil Disobedience," excerpted here, resulted from this experience. This powerful treatise became a classic statement of what one individual can do to protest unjust laws and wars and to live a life of principle. After reading this essay, can you think of any well-known individuals or movements from the twentieth century that might have been influenced by Thoreau’s message? Is civil disobedience a justifiable means of protest? How would you describe Thoreau’s concept of the proper relationship between the individual and the State? Is this relationship realistic? According to Thoreau, what should be the goals of society? Of government?