Henry David Thoreau The Transcendentalist Movement

Henry David Thoreau Henry David Thoreau was one of the greatest leaders of the Transcendentalist movement. He guided this movement through his writings, personal tragedy, beliefs and friendship with Ralph Waldo Emerson. Essentially, Transcendentalism revolves around the ideas of being one with nature and the right to protest peacefully when laws went against one’s own beliefs. Henry David Thoreau was able to lead this movement due to his education, experiences, and family influences. Thoreau is not only remembered for his naturalistic and philosophical writings, but also for his outspoken lectures and essays. Thoreau was born on July 12th, 1817, in Concord, Massachusetts. As an infant, his family moved quite often. In 1818, the family moved to Chelmsford, Massachusetts, where John Thoreau opened a grocery store; however three years later, in 1821, the store closed, and the family moved to Boston where John taught school. In 1823, the Thoreau family returned to Concord, wh ere John took over his brother-in-law’s pencil factory. His mother, Cynthia, took in boarders in the family’s home (Harding and Myers 16). Thoreau had two older siblings, John and Helen, and one younger sister named Sophia. Thoreau was very close to everyone in his family, especially John. It was during Thoreau’s younger years that set him up for success because his parents instilled in him the importance of hard work. In 1833, Thoreau’s older siblings convinced him to attendShow MoreRelatedFrederick Douglas And Henry David Thoreau950 Words   |  4 PagesFrederick Douglas and Henry David Thoreau The life and works of Henry David Thoreau and Frederick Douglass’ has had a lasting impact in the literary field since there work is studied now in most colleges. Although, the writers travelled in the same circle and were both friends of Ralph Waldo Emerson the pair were not friends. 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