Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862

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