David Thoreau's Civil Disobedience
David Henry Thoreau, through his writings, influenced the Martin Luther King, Jr. in his quest for equal rights. Not only is this evidenced in King’s actions, but King partially attributes his methods to the inspiration of Thoreau. In “Civil Disobedience,” Thoreau promotes resisting unjust government actions. Although not opposed to violent solutions, Thoreau encourages less aggressive measures. Specifically, Thoreau gave the example of refusing to pay certain taxes. Following this idea, King writes in detail about nonviolent resistance in his first book, Stride Toward Freedom. King describes how one of Thoreau’s works was his original inspiration for his peaceful approach explaining, “. . . I read Thoreau’s Essay on Civil Disobedience for