Gender Inequality In Henry David Thoreau's Sojourner Truth

As the old saying goes, time is money and money is power. Since the beginning of time, civilizations have fought for power and the prosperity that comes along with it. Once power has been obtained, civilizations have fought to great lengths to hold it. This lust for money and power has driven the economy on all levels of society from local to international. This rationale of more money equals more power can be seen throughout the works of Sojourner Truth, Henry David Thoreau, and others.
Sojourner Truth was one of the first African American women to speak out against racial and gender inequality in the United States. She challenged the stereotypes and ideologies that white men had to be the dominant figures in society. As she put it, “You …show more content…
He called out the government for imposing laws, taxes, tariffs, and actions that many Americans did not want, yet went along with anyway. He also called out those who did nothing to stop the government from making bad decisions. He said “There are thousands who are in opinion opposed to slavery and to the war, who yet in effect do nothing to put an end to them...and say that they know not what to do, and do nothing” (Saxby 4). Thoreau urged people to utilize their civic rights to the best of their advantage by voting regularly, protesting, writing letters to representatives, and even not paying taxes. As Thoreau stated, “A wise man will not leave the right to the mercy of chance, nor wish it to prevail through the power of the majority” (Saxby 5). What Thoreau was urging people to do was if you really want something to change, then do everything in your power to change it. He said “Must the citizen ever for a moment, or in the least degree, resign his conscience to the legislation? Why has every man a conscience, then?” (Saxby 2). His overall message in Civil Disobedience was that Americans have the inalienable right to think for themselves and have an independent conscience so use it to one’s full advantage. Like Sojourner Truth, Thoreau thought that if Americans, both men and women regardless of color, would stand up to their …show more content…
In the early twentieth century, India was a colony of Great Britain who used the region as a source of textiles and various other goods that could not be found in Europe. Great Britain gave the people of India very little say in political issues and had restricted rights. Naturally, the people of India did not like this and wanted their own country and government. However, Great Britain did not want to give up their prized colony. Gandhi believed the best way to fight against the oppressive British Government was to use peaceful protest. This way, there would not be violence and only protesters could be hurt. Through non-compliance and disobedience, the people of India hoped to make the British government realize that they were not welcome and that they would not be their loyal subjects anymore. As Gandhi himself put it, “But so long as there is yet life in these our bones, we will never comply with your arbitrary laws” (Applebee 377). Gandhi’s On Civil Disobedience was a clear message to the British crown that they would no longer be oppressed by their government and that they would not cease to resist their rule until they obtained their independence. Just like Thoreau, Gandhi believed that the best way to stand up to a government was to disobey that government in any way and to do whatever possible to do what is