Henry David Thoreau is credited with establishing a form of protest known as Civil Disobedience, which inspired leaders for generations. Civil Disobedience is not a form of passive protest; it is an active form of nonviolent protest. Those who practice civil disobedience are strong, patient and determined men/women who believe in justice. Henry David Thoreau was a man who practiced, preached, and taught civil disobedience.
Henry David Thoreau was an American writer known for his leadership in the transcendentalist movement and his major works “Walden” and “Civil Disobedience”. Not only was he remembered for his ideas on nonviolent protests but also for his writings on environmentalism. Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1817 during the beginning of the “era of good feeling.” Thoreau attended Harvard University where he read the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s. This is where he first learned about transcendentalism. Transcendentalists believed in truth and considered experience as a source of knowledge. This movement was eventually centered in Thoreau's hometown, Concord, Massachusetts. Transcendentalists preached individualism and had a strong belief in natural law over civil law, they also believed in social improvement. Other notable transcendentalist writers included; Margaret Fuller, Ralph Waldo Emersion, and Convers Francis, all were very influential writers at the time. These writers used their talents to discuss and advocate for topical issues such as abolition, educational reform, and women’s rights. As a result of this movement many reform groups arose, as did individual writers who wrote pamphlets and essays in retaliation to the political injustice prevalent during the 19th century. Thoreau used outlets such as magazines and newspapers to discuss his opinions on these issues. He was opposed to a lot of the current political issues going on during the 19th century, particularly the Mexican- American war. Many Americans opposed this war for multiple reasons; Thoreau opposed the war because he was opposed to connection it had with the support of slavery. Thoreau saw no just cause for this war, therefore he argued multiple times that war was not the best way to settle this conflict. The war became a series of gruesome battles fought between the two armies. The US army, led by Zachary Taylor, was outnumbered and yet still emerged victorious in a series of shocking battles. In the end, the Americans were able to capture Mexico City in 1847. In 1848 both countries signed the Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty, which ended the Mexican American war. The Mexicans were forced to surrender New Mexico and California, almost half of it’s territory, in exchange for 15 million dollars from the United States. The annexation of Texas, one of the causes of the war, supported the institute of slavery. When Texas became a state, Texas fell under the latitude of 36’30, which according to the Missouri Compromise would become a slave state. When Texas officially became a state it upset the balance between slave states and non-slave states in Congress.This affected Thoreau's sense of human rights and justice. To protest the war, he refused to pay taxes, which he claimed was being used to pay for the war. This was a form of peaceful protest, he accepted the fact that he would get in trouble for this, but knew that it was necessary to draw attention to the issue. After spending a night in jail, for failing to pay his taxes, Thoreau wrote his famous essay “Resistance to Civil Government” which he later named “Civil Disobedience,” coining the term that is used today. In his essay Thoreau argued that not all laws are just, but as human beings it is more important to obey natural law over civil law. Natural law is a set of laws that are not written down, but are inscribed in the back of ones mind. These are the laws that steer a person's morality. He believed that obeying these laws was more important then obeying any civil law. He urged others to fight unjust laws. Thoreau once said, "if the machine of the government is of such a nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law." Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi two of the most famous civil rights leaders of the 20th century, were inspired by Thoreau’s words and thoughts on nonviolent protest. Gandhi wrote "To American friends, you have given me a teacher in Thoreau, who furnished me through his essay on the 'Duty of Civil Disobedience' scientific confirmation of what I was doing in South Africa." Thoreau died in 1862 from tuberculosis, leaving an impact on the world. Thoreau's words and acts have inspired civil rights leaders around the globe and have proofed that violence is not the only way to accomplish a goal. Even today people practice civil disobedience in order to protest unjust laws. Unlike war or violence, civil disobedience leaves no visible scars. Instead it creates attention, it forces people to turn around and realize the injustice in a situation. Once attention is brought to an unjust situation it can no longer be ignored, and eventually someone is forced to deal with it, and make a change. At the end of the day that is what all these great civil rights activist want to do. Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, or Henry David Thoreau, they all just wanted to make a change for justice. Henry David Thoreau was a well respected writer in his time. However, his ideas inspired many future activists to use civil disobedience as a way to change public opinion on issues that were morally wrong, but legal by civil law. Perhaps his actions prove that violence is not the only solution. -Natalie Sos |
This photo is from the cover of "Walden" one of Thoreau's most famous books, "Walden" is known for it's beautiful nature imagery, and is also known for its transcendentalist ideals.
Photo from the Mexican-American war
Map of Mexico(1847) before the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty (1848)
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Bibliography
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