Henry David Thoreau's well-publicized essay, "Civil Disobedience," has been a prized piece of literature in the hearts of many famous Americans and other leaders. Great political figures, such as Mohandas K. Gandhi and John F. Kennedy, have used Thoreau's essay calling for the reform of government to their advantage when speaking to their fellow countrymen. Writing in response to the United States annexation of Texas in 1845, Thoreau felt that this economic move by the United …showed first 75 words of 924 total…

…showed last 75 words of 924 total…individual power should be greater than that of the government. Many people credit the term "civil disobedience" to great political leaders such as Mohandas K. Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. But the term "civil disobedience" really refers to the era of great thinkers such as Thomas Jefferson and Henry David Thoreau. All in all, Thoreau's opinion "That government is best which governs least" continues to surface the mind of many people to this day.