Henry David Thoreau was born in 1862, when the civil war in America, And the fight for slavery was at it’s peak. During these times, Thoreau established himself as a poet, a philosopher, an abolitionist, and transcendentalist. Thoreau was seen as a rebel with many causes, but what made him different was he was a wealthy man living a lifestyle of a popper. Thoreau wanted to fight for individual rights without too much government control. Thoreau felt that the government was unfair to people of color, and had an unjust system that taxed its people for greed. Thoreau’s philosophy of civil disobedience inspired political actions during the fight for civil rights. How would Henry David Thoreau be looked at by the American people in the 21st Century? Based on Thoreau 's outlook from “Walden” and his life from “Civil Disobedience” and being a part of the transcendentalism movement, would Thoreau become a radical activist, or a political hero during this time period? An activist is a person who campaigns for some kind of social change. When you participate in a march protesting the closing of a neighborhood library, you 're an activist. (https://www.vocabulary.com/dictionary/activist) a politician or political hero is A politician is a person who campaigns for or holds a position in government. A politician may start a career by running for a local office, like the mayor, but could eventually serve nationally — in Congress or even as President.