In 1849, Henry David Thoreau''s essay "Civil Disobedience" was published. The ideas he set forth in the essay and in his other writings were so groundbreaking that they influenced towering figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Mahatma Gandhi. Thoreau''s ideas continue to influence peaceful activists today. This book explores the life of Thoreau, his beliefs, his strategies for protest, and the legacy he left behind.