PBS
Henry David Thoreau: Author, Philosopher, and Abolitionist
What would Henry David Thoreau think of life in 21st-Century America? Pupils investigate the abolitionist using primary and secondary materials. They analyze what Thoreau would think of the changes to American lifestyles since the time...
Walden Woods Project
19th Century Lessons for 21st Century Lives
The words of Henry David Thoreau on Civil Disobedience seem particularly relevant today, as are his writings and those of other transcendental thinkers who ask what it mean to live deliberately and what are the responsibilities of...
Curated OER
The Legacy of Emerson and Thoreau
Eleventh graders are introduced to Transcendentalism through the writing of Emerson and Thoreau. They keep a journal in which they respond to quotes and prompts. Students write longer essays on conformity, being alone and a "field...
Annenberg Foundation
Migrant Struggle
The American Dream is a goal that many pursue, but is it truly attainable for all people? An in-depth lesson explores the plight of migrants in twentieth-century America. The resource includes a video and author biographies and...
Curated OER
Abolitionists in U.S. History
Students read and discuss excerpts from the writings of Henry David Thoreau, Frederick Douglass and Sarah Parker Redmond. They compare and contrast the views of the three abolitionists concentrating on the experiences and reasons for...
Curated OER
A Thoreau Look at Our Environment
Sixth graders write journal entries o school site at least once during each season, including sketched and written observations of present environment. They can use sample topographical maps and student's own maps. Students can use...
Famous Scientists
Famous Scientists: Henry David Thoreau
This article reviews the life and accomplishments of Henry David Thoreau.
Texas A&M University
American Transcendentalism Web: Henry David Thoreau
Resource provides a biographical look at the Transcendentalist writer, Henry David Thoreau, as well as links to further biographical information, major Thoreau sites, Thoreau texts, and even a criticism of his work "Walden," in audio...
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Henry David Thoreau, Excerpts From "Economy," Ch. 1 of Walden, 1854
A chapter from Walden that critiques and challenges the new market economy of the nineteenth century.
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Reading Guide: Henry David Thoreau, "Walden"
Thoreau offers in this excerpt from Walden the Transcendentalist observation that each human must search for religious meaning within himself and not as a quest to glorify God.
Huntington Library
Huntington Library: The Literature of Upheaval [Pdf]
In this instructional activity, 8th graders read excerpts from Henry David Thoreau, Frederick Douglass, and Harriet Beecher Stowe and discuss the impact their ideas about society and slavery had when their books were published. They then...
Texas A&M University
American Transcendentalism Web: Walden Study Text
This Virginia Commonwealth University site contains study notes that explain the text to each chapter of Thoreau's "Walden."
Authors Calendar
Author's Calendar: Henry Thoreau
A nice biography on Henry David Thoreau's life, centering mostly on his literary skills.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Transcendentalism, an American Philosophy
A good look at the first major American philosophy, transcendentalism. Read about the ideas that transcendentalists believed, and find out the members of the Transcendental Club. Many American authors of the time espoused the ideals of...
Other
Blupete: Thoughts on Thoreau and "Walden"
This site presents a summary of each chapter of Thoreau's book "Walden" along with some quotes from each chapter of the book and commentary by Peter Landry.
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University: American Romanticism: Reading Walden
This Virginia Commonwealth University site discusses the language and rhetoric used in Walden, accompanied by questions about how to interpret it.
Digital History
Digital History: American Transcendentalism
A detailed look at the philosophy behind American Transcendalism, and a discussion of many of those who practiced it.