Disgusted by slavery and the Mexican War, Thoreau gave lectures on, "The Rights and Duties of the Individual in relation to Government," which became the basis for this 1849 essay Civil Disobedience originally titled, "Resistance to Civil Government."

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 is just as applicable today as people search for their own role in making society better.