| He was such a very unique personality in the | | | | slavery. He even criticized the Government with a |
| annals of the history of US. He was a poet, a | | | | punch in his essay 'the best government is the |
| naturalist, a philosopher, a writer and above all an | | | | one which governs least or which do not governs |
| abolitionist. His writings, in particular, his essay 'the | | | | at all'. Hence, he refused to pay taxes to the |
| duty of civil disobedience' inspired great leaders | | | | government and so he was even imprisoned and |
| like Leo Tolstoy, Gandhi and Martin Luther King. | | | | he willingly accepted the punishment. |
| Junior. The newly elected US President Barack | | | | Henry David Thoreau was a great inspiration to |
| Obama has also been largely impressed and | | | | many leaders. The Russian writer Leo Tolstoy |
| inspired by him. The very essence of the political | | | | was greatly influenced by his political philosophy |
| idea of his famous essay 'the duty of civil | | | | and he went on to become one of the architects |
| disobedience' will loudly mention his name as | | | | of Russian Revolution through his writings all of |
| 'Henry David Thoreau'. | | | | them becoming the treasure of Russian literature. |
| Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817 | | | | Leo Tolstoy's literary works included his master |
| at Concord Massachusetts and he died very early | | | | piece 'War and Peace' |
| on May 6, 1862 in the same place where he was | | | | Gandhi, considered as the father of India, was |
| born. | | | | inspired by Thoreau. The agitations launched by |
| Having completed his graduation in Harvard, Henry | | | | him in South Africa against the racial discrimination |
| David Thoreau was doing all kinds of jobs. | | | | was just a beginning. When he returned to India, |
| Another great political philosopher and his | | | | he developed 'the idea of passive resistance' |
| contemporary Emerson introduced him to the | | | | largely influenced by Thoreau's political philosophy |
| writing career. Henry's early work, 'the Natural | | | | and his book 'the duty of Civil Disobedience' |
| History of Massachusetts' showed his love and | | | | Gandhi also went on to write his own |
| expertise on nature. | | | | autobiography 'My Experiments with Truth. ' |
| He lived a simple and secluded life, spending only | | | | In the freedom struggle led by Gandhi as against |
| for his barest necessities. | | | | the British colonial rule, he launched a series of |
| Henry David Thoreau being a staunch abolitionist, | | | | political movements known as 'Civil Disobedience |
| abhorred the then racial system prevailed in the | | | | Movement' particularly by breaking the salt laws, |
| US. Hence, he was even prepared to resist the | | | | 'the Non-Co operation Movement' and finally 'the |
| government which permitted the existence of | | | | Quit India Movement' etc. These movements |
| slavery. Hence he published his essay 'the duty of | | | | finally resulted in the freedom for India in the year |
| civil disobedience' in the year 1849, calling upon the | | | | 1947. |
| people to resist the government which supported | | | | |