Natural philosopher and rugged poet Henry David Thoreau has inspired many generations through Thoreau's popular essays included here: Civil Disobedience, Slavery in Massachusetts, A Plea for Captain John Brown, Walking, and Life without Principle.

Cited by both Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. as influential in their drive to create positive change through nonviolent means, Thoreau's essay CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE is just as applicable today as people search for their own role in making society better.