Why did Henry David Thoreau refuse to pay his poll taxes?

In July of 1846, while on his way to Concord to run an errand, Henry David Thoreau was arrested by the local sheriff for failure to pay a poll tax. read more

In July of 1846, while on his way to Concord to run an errand, Henry David Thoreau was arrested by the local sheriff for failure to pay a poll tax. Thoreau, who believed this poll tax supported the Mexican-American war and the expansion of slavery into the Southwest, had stopped paying this tax in 1842 but the sheriff, Sam Staples, failed to take action against him for several years. read more

His latest work is a play, Thoreau. "The play encompasses one summer in Henry David Thoreau's life including his marriage proposal to Ellen Sewall, his arrest and jailing for failing to pay his taxes and his climb to the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine. read more