Biography
Overall Information
Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts. He was born on July, 12, 1817 and died May, 6, 1862. He had 2 younger siblings: Helen and John Jr. and 1 older sibling, Sophia. Education wise, he studied in Harvard University from 1833-1837.
Return to Concord 1836-1842
Thoreau hadn't any interest in what he was being taught in University therefore he took a leave of absense and went back to Canton to teach Children. He came back to Harvard and after he finished graduating, he came back to Concord and opened a School with his brother John Jr. in 1838. The school ran perfectly but Thoreau had to close the school down in 1842 because his brother John Jr. fell terribly ill and eventually died of tetanus. After that, he came back home with the bad news and after a little bit, he met the person that made his career, Ralph Waldo Emerson through a mutal friend. First, Emerson had helped his writing career by meeting him with his writer friends and Thoreau also told them someone of his poems and impressed them. Then, Emerson urged him to create a essay related to the Dial and so he did. Thoreau's first essay published was "Aulus Persius Flaccus", an essay on the playwright of the same name, the Dial in July 1840. Soon enough, Thoreau became a philosopher of nature and it's relation to human conditions therefore, in his early years, he followed Transcendentalism (loose and eclectic idealist philosophy). Then finally, he moved to Emerson's house and served as a children tutor, editorial assistant and repair man/gardener from 1841-1844. He finally came back to Concord and work at their families pencil factory for the most of his adulthood until something happened that completely changed the course of his writing career.
Civil Disobedience and The Walden Years 1845-1849
In April 1844, he and his friend Edward Hoar, accidentally set a fire that consumed 300 acres of Walden Woods. He spoke often of finding a farm a farm to buy or lease, which he felt would give him a means of support to himself while also providing enough solitude to write his first book. In March 1845, Ellery Channing told Thoreau "Go out writing, build yourself a hut, and there will begin the grand process of devouring yourself alive. I see no other alternative for you, no other hope for you." Thoreau then began his journey to simple living in July 15 1845 as he had moved to a small, self-built house on land owned by Emerson around the shores of Walden Pond. The house was 14 acres big (57,000 m^2), and 1.5 miles away from Emerson's house. Therefore, Thoreau and Emerson still had contact between each other. On July 24th 1846, Thoreau ran into the local tax collector hwho asked him to play up six years worth of tax and naturally Thoreau said no. Therefore, he had to spend a night at jail and he would have stayed more but he aunt payed the bail against his will. This really rose the interest of some kind of hatred towards the government and after that, he started delivering speaches about "The Rights and Duties of the Individual in relation to Government." explaining hsi tax resistance at the Concord Lyceum. From that point he continued to deliver speaches about opposition towards Government and continued his simple living until September, 6, 1847. After that he got to publish his book, Walden and lived with his family on 255 Main Street untill Thoreau had died.
Due to all the speaches directed to the government, Thoreau had later influenced Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. via his very famous essay "Civil Disobedience".
Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts. He was born on July, 12, 1817 and died May, 6, 1862. He had 2 younger siblings: Helen and John Jr. and 1 older sibling, Sophia. Education wise, he studied in Harvard University from 1833-1837.
Return to Concord 1836-1842
Thoreau hadn't any interest in what he was being taught in University therefore he took a leave of absense and went back to Canton to teach Children. He came back to Harvard and after he finished graduating, he came back to Concord and opened a School with his brother John Jr. in 1838. The school ran perfectly but Thoreau had to close the school down in 1842 because his brother John Jr. fell terribly ill and eventually died of tetanus. After that, he came back home with the bad news and after a little bit, he met the person that made his career, Ralph Waldo Emerson through a mutal friend. First, Emerson had helped his writing career by meeting him with his writer friends and Thoreau also told them someone of his poems and impressed them. Then, Emerson urged him to create a essay related to the Dial and so he did. Thoreau's first essay published was "Aulus Persius Flaccus", an essay on the playwright of the same name, the Dial in July 1840. Soon enough, Thoreau became a philosopher of nature and it's relation to human conditions therefore, in his early years, he followed Transcendentalism (loose and eclectic idealist philosophy). Then finally, he moved to Emerson's house and served as a children tutor, editorial assistant and repair man/gardener from 1841-1844. He finally came back to Concord and work at their families pencil factory for the most of his adulthood until something happened that completely changed the course of his writing career.
Civil Disobedience and The Walden Years 1845-1849
In April 1844, he and his friend Edward Hoar, accidentally set a fire that consumed 300 acres of Walden Woods. He spoke often of finding a farm a farm to buy or lease, which he felt would give him a means of support to himself while also providing enough solitude to write his first book. In March 1845, Ellery Channing told Thoreau "Go out writing, build yourself a hut, and there will begin the grand process of devouring yourself alive. I see no other alternative for you, no other hope for you." Thoreau then began his journey to simple living in July 15 1845 as he had moved to a small, self-built house on land owned by Emerson around the shores of Walden Pond. The house was 14 acres big (57,000 m^2), and 1.5 miles away from Emerson's house. Therefore, Thoreau and Emerson still had contact between each other. On July 24th 1846, Thoreau ran into the local tax collector hwho asked him to play up six years worth of tax and naturally Thoreau said no. Therefore, he had to spend a night at jail and he would have stayed more but he aunt payed the bail against his will. This really rose the interest of some kind of hatred towards the government and after that, he started delivering speaches about "The Rights and Duties of the Individual in relation to Government." explaining hsi tax resistance at the Concord Lyceum. From that point he continued to deliver speaches about opposition towards Government and continued his simple living until September, 6, 1847. After that he got to publish his book, Walden and lived with his family on 255 Main Street untill Thoreau had died.
Due to all the speaches directed to the government, Thoreau had later influenced Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr. via his very famous essay "Civil Disobedience".