Not many people today, nor back then really agreed on many things such as should wars happen, the way the government should be taken care of, and who should run for office. However, Henry David Thoreau, Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela thought otherwise. These three intellectual individuals reflect the spirt of optimism and individualism, however only Gandhi and Nelson Mandela made a true change for their community. Many people might know Henry David Thoreau because of his famous essay titled “Civil Disobedience”. In this essay Thoreau describes how he doesn’t want to be part of a nation that declares that they’re an “equal” government that declares they’re being “equal” when really majority always ruled. This is shown when Thoreau states, “A government in which the majority rule in all cases cannot be based on justice, even as far as men understand it.” This …show more content…
Mandela saw how the government in South Africa would treat its people. Mandela wanting to stand up against all the oppression he saw he started talking about all the wrongs the government was doing; this causing him around 25 years in prison for just speaking out against something that’s considered morally wrong. While Mandela was in prison he kept on reading and studying about politics. After he was out of prison he ran for president and won the election. Nelson Mandela was the first democratic president in South Africa. Not only this, but he changed the way the government was working and the way many viewed the South African government. Not many believe in change, standing up for what they believe in, or even try to speak out against things that they believe are morally wrong. Not many stood up for what they believed in, but Henry David Thoreau, Gandhi, and Nelson Mandela did. Although, Thoreau didn’t make a change like Gandhi and Mandela he still stood up in what he believed in not what others believed