Amos Bronson Alcott (1799 1888) was born to an illiterate flax farmer in Wolcott, Connecticut. Profoundly influenced by John Bunyan s book "Pilgrim s Progress, " he left home at seventeen to become a peddler in Virginia and the Carolinas. After five years, he returned to Connecticut, determined to become an educator. Attracted to Pestalozzi s innovative child-centered educational ideas, he began a long and varied career as a teacher. Bronson Alcott was singular among the Transcendentalists in boldly embodying his ideals. In his schools he introduced art, music, nature study, field trips, and p...