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 States expedited the Civil War, which many Americans disapproved of including he himself. In his essay, Thoreau argues that government should not be in control of the people and that the people should be able