Final answer:
Henry George's direct experience with poverty in his own life shaped his views, leading him to advocate for a single land tax as a solution to economic inequality.
Step-by-step explanation:
The background of Henry George that most likely influenced his point of view in his book Progress and Poverty is that as someone who grew up in poverty, the author understands its challenges. This understanding is grounded in George's own life experiences, which informed his views on economic theory and policy. Henry George argued for a single land tax as a means of addressing social inequities, which suggests that his approach to economics was greatly shaped by an intimate knowledge of poverty's hardships and a desire to find feasible solutions.