Henry David Thoreau

1817-1862

Born and raised in Concord, Massachusetts Was known to be “eccentric” as a child—

didn’t like to follow rules His mother convinced him to pursue an

education Thoreau attended Concord Academy, then

Harvard University

After graduating from Harvard, he became a teacher

His objection to corporal punishment forced him to quit his first teaching job

He then opened a school with his brother John in Concord, but they had to close it down when John became ill

1842, Thoreau moved into the house of Ralph Waldo Emerson

He lived there for two years and performed odd jobs to pay for his room and board

Thoreau was fascinated with Emerson’s Transcendentalist beliefs

Thoreau became immersed in the Transcendentalist lifestyle—he quit teaching, refused to pursue another career and dedicated himself to testing the Transcendentalist philosophy

For two years he lived alone in a cabin he built himself at Walden Pond outside of Concord

His experiences there are captured in Walden which is considered his masterpiece