Henry D. Thoreau’s non-violent protest of not paying his poll tax may not have made a huge impact on society during 1846 when he took his stand for what he believed in, however, his stand would end up becoming a huge inspiration during the 60s and 70s.
July of 1846 Henry D. Thoreau was arrested for not paying his poll tax for the last 4 years. (Brooks) Thoreau believed this poll tax helped support the Mexican-American war and the expansion of slavery into the southwest (Brooks); both of which he strongly disagreed with. He wanted to make a public statement of his refusal to support an unjust war and slavery itself and when asked by a friend who visited him in jail as to why he didn’t pay his tax his response was, “The question is not what am I doing in here, but what are you doing out there?” (The Power of …show more content…
Thoreau wrote “The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right.” (Thoreau) This was in regards to his refusal to stand for unjust laws which Martin Luther King Jr. and Mohamad Gandhi would later follow. Gandhi was also arrested for government protest against unjust laws and his motivation to continue to stand up for his beliefs stemmed from reading Thoreau’s essay. (The Power of Peace) Eventually, Gandhi helped India win their independence from Great Britain (bibliography.com) all because 1 man took a stand and wrote his thoughts on what he believed was unjust and what was not. Martin Luther King Jr. also took a stand on a belief of something being unjust and he highly looked up to Gandhi. Although Martin Luther King Jr. focused more on what the Bible had to say he too had read “Civil Disobedience” (The Power of Peace) which assisted with his non-violent march throughout the south in hopes of obtaining the freedom of
July of 1846 Henry D. Thoreau was arrested for not paying his poll tax for the last 4 years. (Brooks) Thoreau believed this poll tax helped support the Mexican-American war and the expansion of slavery into the southwest (Brooks); both of which he strongly disagreed with. He wanted to make a public statement of his refusal to support an unjust war and slavery itself and when asked by a friend who visited him in jail as to why he didn’t pay his tax his response was, “The question is not what am I doing in here, but what are you doing out there?” (The Power of …show more content…
Thoreau wrote “The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right.” (Thoreau) This was in regards to his refusal to stand for unjust laws which Martin Luther King Jr. and Mohamad Gandhi would later follow. Gandhi was also arrested for government protest against unjust laws and his motivation to continue to stand up for his beliefs stemmed from reading Thoreau’s essay. (The Power of Peace) Eventually, Gandhi helped India win their independence from Great Britain (bibliography.com) all because 1 man took a stand and wrote his thoughts on what he believed was unjust and what was not. Martin Luther King Jr. also took a stand on a belief of something being unjust and he highly looked up to Gandhi. Although Martin Luther King Jr. focused more on what the Bible had to say he too had read “Civil Disobedience” (The Power of Peace) which assisted with his non-violent march throughout the south in hopes of obtaining the freedom of