Henry David Thoreau

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Henry David Thoreau

• 1817-1862

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• Born and raised in Concord, Massachusetts
• Was known to be eccentric as a childdidnt
  like to follow rules
• His mother convinced him to pursue an education
• Thoreau attended Concord Academy, then Harvard
  University

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• 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

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• 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 Emersons
  Transcendentalist beliefs

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• Thoreau became immersed in the Transcendentalist
  lifestylehe 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