On this day, July 23, in 1846

Writer and philosopher Henry David Thoreau was thrown in jail for refusing to pay his $1 poll tax in protest of American Slavery and the Mexican-American War. Thoreau had resisted his poll tax for six years because he did not support the government’s use of the money. Although he was only in jail for one night, the experience deeply impacted him and he began speaking out about the responsibility of individuals to hold their government accountable. Three years later, Thoreau wrote ‘Civil Disobedience,’ an essay explaining how the actions of the American government were controlled by a few individuals rather than the people. Thoreau’s essay was highly influential to many activists.