Final answer:
Henry David Thoreau criticizes government interference in his essay 'Resistance to Civil Government'. He advocates for passive resistance as a means to defy unjust laws and his work has inspired leaders of nonviolent movements globally.
Step-by-step explanation:
In Henry David Thoreau's "Resistance to Civil Government", also known as "Civil Disobedience", he criticizes government interference. Thoreau was a staunch advocate for individual rights and expressed his beliefs that people must resist the authority of the government when it is unjust. One of the notable acts of his resistance was refusing to pay a poll tax that supported slavery and the war with Mexico, which led to his arrest and subsequent writings on the subject in "Civil Disobedience". In this essay, Thoreau champions the idea of passive resistance as a means to protest against the government. His views have influenced many leaders of nonviolent movements such as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.