July 12 is the day Thoreau was born in 1817. He would be 206 today.
Reading the biography today:
Thoreau took a hike around and met Channing in Pittsfield. He slept rough and had adventures he didn’t write about.
Back in Concord Emerson came out against slavery after meeting Frederick Douglas (1817-1895). Douglas's birth year is uncertain, so he may be the same age as Thoreau or a year younger.
Isaac Hecker befriended Thoreau and invited him to travel with him in Europe. Thoreau declined. The first thought that comes to my mind was his mother's thriftiness. He probably couldn't imagine spending that much money on himself. In his travels with Channing he looked pretty wild on the boat mixing among the ladies and gentlemen.
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