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Birth
Born on July 12, 1817 in Concord, Massachusetts to John and Cynthia Thoreau. He lived in a small town that was about 20 miles away from Boston. -
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College
Attended Harvard College from 1833 to 1837. He stayed in Hollis Hall and took courses in rhetoric, classics, philosophy, mathematics, and science. He graduated 19th out of a class of 44. He becomes acquanted with Ralph Waldo Emerson, who becomes his mentor and friend. He helps Henry make a name for himself and teaches him about selfeducation and educational discipline. This affects his writings and poems laater on in life. -
Becomes a Teacher
Henry accepts a teaching job at a Concord public school but refuses to deliver the usual corpal punishment and quits after two weeks. -
Starts his own School
After what Henry saw at the public school he opened his own that had nature walks and open discussion in place of corpral punishment and written learing. -
Starts work in pencil facory
After he reopened the scool he went to work for his father in his pencil factory, gave his first lecture to Concord Lyceum, and grows stronger within his realtionship with Ermerson. -
First Proposal
He proposes to Ellen Sewall but is rejected after courting her for about two years. He starts writing poems and essays in the Dial, a sort of newspaper or magizine that was for literature, philosophy, and religion. His friend Emerson got him on it and was an editor. -
His brother become sick
Herny and his brother have to close their school due to the fact that his brother becomes very sick. He the nmoves in with Emerson too. -
Climbs Mount Waschusett
Thoreau climbs Mount Wachusett and is amazed at its beauty and untamed wild growing his love with nature. -
Death of his brother
His brother dies from lockjaw rather unexpectedly and Thoreau gets it too in a mental way even though he doesn't really have it. -
Henry tutors Emerson's kids
For around ten moths, Henry lives at Emerson house in Staten Island tutoring them and becomes friends with Horace Greeley, a newspaper editor who helps him. -
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Walden's Pond
During this timespan Herny builds a one room house at Waldnes Pond and commences writing "Walden's Pond." He writes about how a person should examine themselves everyone once so often and examine their place in the world. He learns much about himself here too through self examination and through the beauty of nature that surrods him. -
Abandons Walden's Pond
After two years he leaves the pond to go and live with the Emerson's while Ralph is lecturing in Europe. He deepens his relationship with the kids and grows feelings towards Mrs.Emerson. -
A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers
After much revision and thought the book A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers by Thoreau is a complete failure to sell. -
Decline of friendship with Emerson
Henry writes in his journal about the decline of his friendship withe Ralph. -
Death of his sister
Helen his sister who was a school teacher dies from tuberculosis. -
Starts reading Darwin
He begins to talk more scientific and technical data during his long walks in the woods and starts reading Darwin's works. -
Slavery in Massachusetts
After Anthony Burns the last fugitive slave returned from Boston, Henry saw no othe way than violence to counter slavery of which he was deeply opposed. -
Walden is published
He doesn't right anything about it in his journal but people comment about him walking around the town in a tremble of excitment. -
Death of his father
His father dies and he takes over the pencil factory and lectures a lot. -
Death of Henry David Thoreau
He dies from tuberculosis, which he had gotten while counting tree rings at Walden's Pond. "The country knows not yet, or in the least part, how great a son it has lost." (Emerson)