Part I – A Jail Henry David Thoreau Henry Thoreau who lived from 1817 – 1862, was a writer, philosopher, and naturalist. Thoreau believed that government interfered too much in the lives of men. He felt that people should act according to their beliefs and not do anything because it was the...

The first selection which follows is from his essay on Civil Disobedience, which was his main contribution to political thought.