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Henry David Thoreau And Transcendentalism

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Henry David Thoreau was a leading transcendentalist. He was most known for his essays, with the major themes focusing on nature and government. His works weren’t highly appreciated during his lifetime, but as years went on they became very influential. He was one of the first environmentalists, and he laid the groundwork for a lot of progressive movements. Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts. In 1833 he started studying at Harvard college, till 1837. He studied rhetoric, the classics, philosophy, mathematics, and science. Thoreau didn’t like the idea of traditional professions, so in 1835 he took a break from Harvard to teach. When he went back to Harvard, he refused to pay the five-dollar fee for his diploma. After he graduated, he started teaching at a public school in Canton, Massachusetts. He quit a few weeks after starting because he refused to use capital punishment on his students. In 1838, he and his brother, John, opened a grammar school. This school was extremely progressive for its time; they would take nature walks and bring their students to local shops and businesses. The school closed in 1842 when John died. Shortly after college, Thoreau met Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson took a great interest in Thoreau and opened him up to amazing opportunities. Emerson introduced him to some of the most influential people of the time; Ellery Channing, Margaret Fuller, Bronson Alcott, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. In 1842, Thoreau moved in
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