Bicentennial Happenings: Thoreau: Resistance & Freedom

Henry David Thoreau described himself as “a mystic, a transcendentalist, and a natural philosopher to boot,” but he is probably most famous for his refusal to pay his taxes in protest against slavery and the Mexican War. Just as later political figures such as Emma Goldman and Martin Luther King cited Thoreau’s refusal as inspiration for their decisions to defy unjust laws, the ongoing protests against the Trump Administration have echoed his call for resistance to political evil.  In order to gain a better understanding of this political legacy, Susan E. Gallagher explores how Thoreau’s ideas about combating injustice evolved in response to the seeming triumph of slavery in the decade before his death in 1862.

Resistance & Freedom: The Political Legacy of Henry David Thoreau, Tuesday, April 25th 6:30pm (free and open to the public)

Susan E. Gallagher, Associate Professor, Political Science Department, UMass Lowell

Concord Art Association, 37 Lexington Road, Concord MA 01742 | 978-369-2578