Civil Disobedience

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What do you know about the term “transcendentalism”? What is the basic philosophy surrounding this movement, and which authors are usually associated with it?

Teaching Suggestion: This question links well with study of the antebellum era in U.S. History, as it asks students to examine the transcendentalist movement within its historical context. Transcendentalism is a unique and time-bound American literary and philosophical phenomenon; however, its circle of authors greatly affected both U.S. as well as international authors.

• This overview from Britannica discusses the history of transcendentalism in the United States.
• This study guide collection from SuperSummary provides a brief description of transcendentalism and highlights the major literary works usually associated with this literary movement.

Short Activity

One of the core tenets of transcendentalism was the importance of connecting to nature as a facet of Anti-Materialism and Self-Reliance. In addition to this text, Thoreau wrote Walden, a nonfiction account of his experiment living off the land near Walden Pond in Concord, Massachusetts.

For this activity, you will write a reflection while immersed in your favorite natural location, such as a park, your backyard, or a local green spot.