Henry David Thoreau Biography and Background

When was “Walking” made?

1862

What are Thoreau’s two MOST important works?

“Civil Disobedience” (1849) and “Walden; or Life in the Woods” (1854)

Thoreau relentlessly questioned…

Received wisdom of all kinds

When did Thoreau graduate?

1837

Where did Thoreau go to school?

Harvard

Thoreau was the son of…

A small business owner

When did Thoreau meet Ralph Waldo Emerson?

1837

What were, according to Emerson, Transcendentalists interested in?

Exploring and glorifying “The infinitude of the private man”

When did the popularity of the Transcendentalists peak?

Mid-1830s through mid-1840s

Who are other examples of Transcendentalists?

Margaret Fuller, Elizabeth Peabody, and Bronson Alcott

Why did Transcendentalists believe humans were remarkable?

Because each of them contained a piece of the full mystery of the universe

What did many Transcendentalists oppose?

Slavery, crass popular culture, oppressive governments, social conventions, and restrictive moral prescriptions

Thoerau advocated for the value of total __________

Self-reliance