Amos Bronson Alcott

Amos Bronson Alcott (November 29, 1799 – March 4, 1888) was an American teacher, writer and philosopher who left a legacy of forward-thinking social ideas and whose status as a well-publicized figure from the 1830s to the 1880s stemmed from his founding of two short-lived projects, an unconventional school and an utopian community known as "Fruitlands", as well as from his association with the philosophy of Transcendentalism and from the celebrit... more

Amos Bronson Alcott (November 29, 1799 – March 4, 1888) was an American teacher, writer and philosopher who left a legacy of forward-thinking social ideas and whose status as a well-publicized figure from the 1830s to the 1880s stemmed from his founding of two short-lived projects, an unconventional school and an utopian community known as "Fruitlands", as well as from his association with the philosophy of Transcendentalism and from the celebrity accruing to his daughter, Little Women author Louisa May Alcott. A native New Englander, Amos Bronson Alcott was born in the town of Wolcott in Connecticut's New Haven County The family home was in an area known as Spindle Hill, and his father, Joseph Chatfield Alcox, a farmer and mechanic, traced his ancestry to colonial-era settlers in eastern Massachusetts whose surname had been recorded as "Alcocke". The son adopted the spelling "Alcott" in his early youth. Alcott taught himself to read and was self-educated. Before reaching his 15th... less