Ralph Waldo Emerson was born on May 25, 1803 in Boston, Massachusetts. He had four brothers, but three of them died before 1836. His mother's name was Ruth Haskins. His father was William Emerson. William was a Unitarian minister. Ralph later followed in his father's footsteps. In 1829, he became the Unitarian minister of the Second Church of Boston. He later resigned, in 1832, because of disagreements.

Emerson married a lady named Ellen Tucker. She died in 1831. He later remarried to Lydia Jackson (1802 - 1892). His children were Edward (1844 - 1930), Edith (1841 - 1928), Ellen (1839 - 1909), and Waldo who died in 1841. He took a trip to England and then later in 1833 settled down in Concord, Massachusetts. Emerson got his education at Harvard College in 1821. He studied literature, philosophy, and theology. Later, on April 27, 1882, at the age of 79, he died. His grave is at the Sleepy Hollow Cemetary.

Emerson is famous for many of his works. He wrote essays, gave speeches, and wrote many poems. He was one of the great authors of his time. Some of his essays include: Nature, The American Scholar, Politics, Experience, English Traits, Representative men, Man the reformer, The conservative, The transcendentalist, and The young American. Some of his lectures include: Plato, or, the philosopher and Napolean, or, the man of the world. He has also written many poems on various subjects.