Walden is a book written by Henry David Thoreau, a reflection upon simple living in nature. The work is part personal declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire, and manual for self-reliance. By immersing himself in nature, Thoreau hoped to gain a more objective understanding of society through personal introspection. Simple living and self-sufficiency were Thoreau's other goals, and the whole project was inspired by transcendentalist philosophy.

Civil Disobedience is an essay by Thoreau. In it, Thoreau argues that individuals should not permit governments to make them agents of injustice. Thoreau was motivated in part by his disgust with slavery and the Mexican–American War.