~was known as a writer, naturalist, and philosopher
~grew up in Concord, Massachusetts
~Graduated from Harvard in 1837
~Had a series of very odd jobs
~Published essasys, poems and reviews in a transcendentalist magazine-The Dial
~talent seen in 1842 when he wrote about nature
~From 1845-1847 he moved to Walden Pond near Concord
~Spent a night in jail while he lived there because he refused to pay poll tax
~Thoreau aided runaway slaves
~In 1859 he publicily defended abolitionist John Brown
~After this his writing failed and he was making no money
~After this failure he spent a lot of his writing time in the outdoor looking at nature type places
~the essay his wrote was about forest management systems mirroring woodland ecology
~He was considered a failure by the small town famers and merchants in town
~Died May 6th, 1862
~He died in his own home
~He has made himself a secure spot in American letters
~ He is now a famous poet
