Henry David Thoreau was an American naturalist, essayist, poet, and philosopher. A leading transcendentalist, he is best known for his book Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay "Civil Disobedience", an argument for disobedience to an unjust state.

Who else has been influenced by Thoreau's theory?

Martin Luther King and Gandhi Weren't the Only Ones Inspired By Thoreau's 'Civil Disobedience' Henry David Thoreau was born on this day 200 years ago. A few decades later, aged 32, he wrote an essay that fundamentally influenced twentieth-century protest.

How was Thoreau influential?

As society became more environmentally aware, its appreciation of Henry David Thoreau and Walden increased. Today Thoreau is considered among the greatest of all American writers and the intellectual inspiration for the conservation movement. His long lasting influence cannot be fully expressed.