Henry David Thoreau (see name pronunciation; July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862) was an American
author,
poet,
philosopher,
abolitionist,
naturalist,
tax resister,
development critic,
surveyor, and
historian. A leading
transcendentalist, Thoreau is best known for his book
Walden, a reflection upon
simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay
Resistance to Civil Government (also known as
Civil Disobedience), an argument for disobedience to an unjust state.