Which transcendentalist wrote Walden and argued for civil disobedience against government policies he opposed?

• A. Henry David Thoreau
• B. Ralph Waldo Emerson
• C. Louisa May Alcott
• D. Margaret Fuller

Answer: (A)

Thoreau is the transcendentalist who wrote Walden and argued for civil disobedience. Walden shows his experiment of living simply in a cabin by Walden Pond to observe nature and question modern life, reflecting a belief in personal integrity and a straightforward, self-reliant way of living. He also wrote Civil Disobedience, where he argues that people should follow their conscience and resist unjust laws or government actions through nonviolent means, even if that means refusing to comply with those laws. This combination—deep connection to nature and a principled stance on resisting injustice—defines his contribution within the transcendentalist movement. Emerson was a major influence but did not write Walden or frame civil disobedience as Thoreau did; Louisa May Alcott and Margaret Fuller were associated with the movement in other ways. So the author is Henry David Thoreau.