Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817May 6, 1862) was an American author, naturalist and philosopher. His friend, Ralph Waldo Emerson had a great impact on him, and supported him in many ways. Emerson provided a place for Thoreau to live at Walden Pond, which inspired his book, Walden. He is best known for his book, Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral opposition to an unjust state.