We are grateful to the NEH for funding this two-week educational Summer Institute. “Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.”

"Endowment programs do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age. For further information, write to the Equal Opportunity Officer, National Endowment for the Humanities, 400 7th Street, SW, Washington, DC 20024. TDD: 202-606-8282 (this is a special telephone device for the Deaf)."

Henry David ThoreauProjects relating to and resulting from this Institute program are provided here for your education, enjoyment, and use in your own classrooms:

  • A short video below, “NEH Summer Institute: Transcendentalism and Social Reform: Activism and Community Engagement in the Age of Thoreau,” provides an on-site tour of sites and seminars as well as interviews with the project directors, project faculty, and selected applicants who gathered in Concord for the Institute.
  • Five podcast teams (on sidebar) dive in to show how their own teaching and research have been inspired by what they learned during this Summer Institute.

Directed by Dr. Sandra Harbert Petrulionis and administered by Mr. Michael Frederick, Executive Director of The Thoreau Society


Founded in 1941, The Thoreau Society is the largest and oldest organization dedicated to an American author.

© The Thoreau Society, Inc. The Thoreau Society® is a registered trademark of the Thoreau Society, a US-registered 501(c)3 charitable organization.