David Henry
Thoreau
(1817-1862)
“I believe, — That government is best which governs
not at all”
–Henry Thoreau (Resistance to Civil Government, p145)
By Fabiola Spinks. ENGL 2327
Henry David Thoreau was born on
July 12th, 1817 in Concord,
Massachussetts, where he lived
most of his life. He was an
American writer, lecturer, naturalist,
student of Native American
artifacts and life, active opponent
of slavery, social critic,
philosopher, pencil maker, land
surveyor, inspector of snow storms,
and famous Trascendentalist.
He died of tuberculosis on May 6th,
1862 in the same town.
Thoreau was one of four children born to store keeper and pencilmaker John Thoreau and his wife, Cynthia Dunbar Thoreau.
Some of Thoreau’s
Works
• Thoreau graduated from Harvard in 1837
in the top half of his class.
• Thoreau became a teacher and he
briefly worked at the Concord public
school. However, he resigned due to a
disagreement regarding discipline
practices geared toward children.
• Thanks to Thoreau’s extensive research
on German pencil-making, his family’s
pencils were known as the best American
pencils.
• Eventually, Thoreau and his brother John
started their own school in Concord, but
later on, Thoreau would close it due to his
brother’s health issues.
Trascendentalism
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882)
• While Thoreau studied at Harvard, he read a small
book by his Concord neighbor Emerson—Nature.
• Thoreau became a pretégé, apprentice and
friend of Emerson and continued to develop his
own ideals.
• During a time when he stayed at Emerson’s,
Thoreau decided to become a writer and got help
from him to publish some poems and essays in the
Trascendental journal, The Dial.
• Thoreau later received permission from Emerson to
build a house and live in Emerson’s property by the
Walden pond for a couple of years. This would
prove fruitful to Thoreau as he wrote several of his
works during the time he lived there.
Interesting Facts
• Thoreau was born David Henry Thoreau, but he changed his name to Henry David
Thoreau shortly after he graduated from Harvard.
• Neither Thoreau nor any of his siblings ever married.
• Both, Thoreau and his brother John fell in love and proposed marriage to the same
woman, Ellen Sewall, but she refused both proposals due to her father’s objections
to the Thoreau’s liberal religious beliefs.
• Thoreau’s brother, John, died paralyzed of Tetanus in Thoreau’s arms when Thoreau
was 25 years old.
• Thoreau’s mother, sisters, and aunts were fervent abolitionists.
• Thoreau worked for Emerson as a handyman to sustain himself and to be able to
focus more on his writings.
• In 1846, Thoreau spent one night in jail. This experience became the inspiration for
his essay “Resistance to Civil Government” also known as “Civil Disobedience.”
“What is the use of a house if you haven't got a
tolerable planet to put it on?”
― H.D. Thoreau, Familiar Letters
The Thoreau Society was founded in
1941 as an effort from scholars and
enthusiasts to preserve the legacy
of Thoreau.
The Thoreau
Society
The society is the oldest
and largest single-author
society in the United
States.
The society currently has
two periodicals, The
Thoreau Society Bulletin
and The Concord
Saunterer. The society
has published several
pamphlets and books
written by its members on
both periodicals
“Nor is it every apple I desire,
Nor that which pleases every palate best;
’Tis not the lasting Deuzan I require,
Not yet the red-checked Queening I request,
Nor that which first beshrewed the name of
wife,
Nor that whose beauty caused the golden
strife:
No, no! bring me an apple from the tree of
life!”
–Henry Thoreau (Wild Apples, p. 337)
Quiz
1. How was Ralph Waldo Emerson related to
Thoreau?
2. What inspired Thoreau to write “Resistance to Civil
Government”?
3. How many siblings did Thoreau have?
4. What was Thoreau’s family’s business?
5. What was Thoreau’s wife’s name?
Works Cited
Thoreau, Henry D. “Resistance to Civil Government.” Essays: A Fully Annotated Edition. Ed. Jefrey S. Cramer. New
Haven: Yale University Press, 2013. 145. Print.
—. “Wild Apples.” Essays: A fully Annotated Edition. Ed. Jefrey S. Cramer. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013.
145. Print.
“Thoreau Family Collection.” Concord Public Library.
http://www.concordlibrary.org/scollect/Fin_Aids/Thoreau_fam_coll.htm
accessed on March 20 2016. Web.
Thoreau Society. http://www.thoreausociety.org accessed on 20 March 2016.
Web.
Witherell, Elizabeth and Elizabeth Dubrulle. “Life and Times of Henry David Thoreau.” The Writings of Henry D.
Thoreau. University of
California, Santa Barbara. http://thoreau.library.ucsb.edu/thoreau_life.html
accessed on March 20 2016. Web.
Woodlief, Ann. “Henry David Thoreau.” American Transcendentalism Web. Texas A&M University.
http://transcendentalism-legacy.tamu.edu/authors/thoreau/ accessed on 20 March 2016. Web.
Woodlief, Ann. “Ralph Waldo Emerson.” American Transcendentalism Web. Texas A&M University.
http://transcendentalism- legacy.tamu.edu/authors/emerson/ accessed on 20 March 2016. Web.