Alcott’s father was a strong supporter of women’s rights and an
early abolitionist (opponent of slavery), and his friends were some of
the most brilliant and famous men and women of the day. His friends
included Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862), Ralph Waldo Emerson
(1803–1882), Margaret Fuller (1810–1850), and Theodore
Parker (1810–1860). Alcott and her sisters became friends with these
visitors as well, and were even tutored by them at times. This
combination of intellectual richness and actual poverty helped Alcott
develop her sense of humor.
Louisa May Alcott was born in Germantown, Pennsylvania, on
November 29, 1832. She was one of four daughters
of Bronson Alcott, an educator and philosopher (one who seeks an
understanding of the world and man’s place in it), and Abigail May
Alcott. Her father was unsuited for many jobs and also unwilling to
take many of them, and as a result he was unable to support his
family. The Alcotts were very poor. Her father moved the family to
Boston, Massachusetts, in 1834 and founded the Temple School, in
which he planned to use his own teaching methods. The school
failed, and the family moved to Concord, Massachusetts, in 1840.
