The Political Thinking and Influence of Henry David Thoreau Essay examp

The Political Thinking and Influence of Henry David Thoreau The extent and nature of Henry David Thoreau’s commitment to social reform has long been a matter of debate among scholars. Drawing on his well-know disdain for organized politics and his focus of self-reform, some have observed that "Thoreau was no social reformer" (Goodwin 157). On the other hand, such major anti-slavery statements as "Civil Disobedience," "Slavery in Massachusetts," and "A Plea for Captain John Brown," have been seen as evidence that Thoreau was deeply engaged in the "most important moral and political issues or his time" (Harding 418). How can Thoreau the solipsistic hermit for whom "the government is best which governs not at all," (Thoreau 1792) be reconciled with Thoreau the political activist "most beloved by reformers" (Cain 5), and influential in the careers of such social-minded figures as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King? For many scholars the key to understanding this apparent dichotomy lies in an exploration of Thoreau's particular understa nding of the relationship between the transcendental self and society. In this exploration critics have most often turned to "Civil Disobedience," Thoreau's most famous and influential statement on the individual's relation to the state. As Thoreau himself points out in the opening paragraph of â€Å"Civil Disobedience†, the â€Å"war in Mexico" (1972) is an important political context. In 1836 Texas declared its independence from Mexico and began petitioning for admission to the Union. Despite abolitionist opposition on the grounds that Texas's admission would greatly increase slaveholding influence in national politics, the state was admitted to the union on December 29th, 1845. However, because Me... ...eau and John Brown: Transcendental Politics,† ESQ 25 (1979): 156-68. Gougeon, Len. â€Å"Thoreau and the Natural Environment.† The Cambridge Companion to Henry David Thoreau. Ed. Joel Myerson. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Harding, Walter. The Days of Henry Thoreau: A Biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1965. Herr, William. â€Å"A More Perfect State: Thoreau’s Concept of Civil Government.† The Massachusetts Review 16 (1975): 470-487. Rosenwald, Lawrence. â€Å"The Theory, Practice, and Influence of Thoreau’s Civil Disobedience.† A Historical Guide to Henry David Thoreau. Ed. William E. Cains. New York: Oxford University Press, 2000. 153-180. Thoreau, Henry David. â€Å"Civil Disobedience.† Norton Anthology of American Literature 1820-1865. Ed. Nina Bayam et al. 6th ed. New York: Norton, 2003. 1792-1806.