Final answer:
Henry David Thoreau was known as an American author, philosopher, poet, and transcendentalist who advocated for individual freedoms and wrote influential works on nature.
Step-by-step explanation:
Henry David Thoreau was known as an American author, philosopher, poet, and transcendentalist. He is best known for his works on nature, particularly "Civil Disobedience" and "Walden; or, Life in the Woods." Thoreau advocated for individual freedoms, including the right to protest against unjust government and the choice to live according to one's own beliefs. His ideas on civil disobedience had a significant impact on the political thoughts and actions of figures such as Mohandas Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr.