John Brown Transcendentalism

During his trial, Brown was made a martyr in the North. Brown’s eloquent speech during his trial swayed the northern opinion. At first, Brown’s lawyers wanted him to accept an insanity plea, but, according to Tony Horwitz (2011) in his book Midnight Rising, “During the proceedings when Brown would make his plea, his lawyers tried to get Brown to accept an insanity plea; however, Brown said ‘I am perfectly unconscious of insanity, and I reject, so far as I am capable, any attempt to interfere on my behalf for that score’”, thusly, Brown rejected the insanity plea, in an attempt to make his cause more noble. If Brown had accepted the insanity defense, people would dismiss his cause as insane. He was sentenced to death as a result, but he had

So John Brown chose the least of two evils. To save the country, he went down to cut off the Virginia cancer. ”(J. Sella Martin) Early in the century Fredrick Douglas had written “I could live for the slave, but he could die for him.” L. Sella Martin says that it was necessary for John Brown's actions to occur so that the country would be saved making what he had been given undeserved and that he only stirred these things up so that the slaves could be free and without the war the slaves would have never been free.

The execution of John Brown brought mixed reactions from all over the country. This North Carolina paper criticizes the commercialization and celebration of John Brown that had been taking place in the north (390.) This reaction highlights the anger from the South at the celebration of this violence and also calls out the hypocrisy for the villainization of the southern states. These northern states who target them for upholding slavery are not only celebrating a violent act, but they’ve done plenty wrong themselves in the past. “It’s a pity they haven’t a witch or two to drown or burn, by way of variety” (390.) The paper remarks that the gallows should be completely be burned or else the capitalist heathens in the north will profit off the

Bedford Forrest, has by his atrocities obtained such a record of infamy, were all negro traders.” It goes on and stresses “One slave man was whipped to death by Bedford… The slave was secretly buried, and the circumstances was only known to the slaves of the prison, who only dared to refer to the circumstances in whispers.” Forrest represented everything that was wrong with the South, specifically the institution of Slavery to the North. The article then concludes with a powerful statement that defamed Forrest’s image, “Such are the appropriate antecedents of the character of the monster who murdered in cold blood the gallant defenders of Fort Pillow.”

Scott John Hammond convey a different transition in our American history, John Brown was fueled on freedom of religion and human race. According to the article John Brown: America's First Terrorist? , "For southerners, Brown was the embodiment of all their fears- a white man willing to die to end slavery. For many Northerners, he was a prophet of righteousness"(Finkelman). Folks from the North was well aware that Brown violent acts was the start of a revolution to end slavery and satisfy the purpose of the Declaration of Independence. On the other hand, the southerners differed his principle of "freedom" he was considered a threat to the union and a harm to society that need to be banished. Brown evaluated society according to the "laws

Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be." Transcendentalist believed in being independent and self-reliant as well as appreciating nature. Transcendentalism occurred in the 1800s in the United States. Transcendentalist believed that one should not rely on others and should rely solely on themselves. They also believe that nature was important in the world and should not be taken for granted. Artist from 2000 up to now share these common beliefs with transcendentalist. One of these artist is Trisha Yearwood who had the song Real Live Woman. Another artist who has a song that follows their beliefs is Lee Ann Womack. Lee Ann Womack has the song I Hope You Dance which also follows along with the beliefs of transcendentalist. Some of the beliefs that transcendentalist had was believing in independence and they also believed in appreciating nature and everything in it for example Lee Ann Womack sings about nature and what happens in it and Trisha Yearwood in one of her songs sings about the importance of being self-reliant and independent she also talks about social reforms and not doing things that is set up by society.

Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, central figures of Transcendentalism, expressed their beliefs through works such as “American Scholar” and “Into the Woods” in the nineteenth century. They believed that one must be in simplicity, solitude, and away from technology to appreciate the beauty of nature, which is essential for a better spiritual understanding of oneself. Transcendentalism, which focuses on spiritual interactions with nature, is relevant in today’s hectic life with temptations of materialistic goods and burdens of technology. The retreat that Webb offers every year is a good example of how Transcendentalism shapes students to have spiritual richness and mental strength. On retreats, students go off campus with bare necessities for three days to camp sites in nature to reflect and appreciate the beauty of the outdoors. Viewed through the lens of Transcendentalism, retreats allow students to prepare for a new and busy school year to come by helping them to realize their own goals, to get rid of distractions of technology, to get inspired by nature for a better understanding of themselves, and to enjoy a moment of solitude to truly reflect on the deeper meanings of life.

John Brown was an African American slave abolitionist who caused much conflict with his radical views to overthrow slavery. One of his many defeats where he tried to defeat slavery with violence was the armed slave rebellion on Harper’s Ferry. “In a speech to the court before his sentencing, Brown stated his actions to be just and God-sanctioned.” Brown lived a life full of dispute; yet it was not until after Harper Ferry where his madness was confirmed. “Brown soon became a hero in the eyes of Northern extremists and was quick to capitalize on his growing reputation.” Brown’s radical abolitionist movements and wicked violent actions on slavery promoted his reputation in the north and were the cherry on the sundae to validate his insanity.

Someone who refuses to follow the path that everyone takes. I chose someone who has done all of those and has ended up succeeding with his dream. Sir Robert Bryson Hall II or “Logic” as described by us youths is an American rapper who rose to fame from humble beginnings.

Transcendentalism relates to freedom in several ways. Freedom is the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau are two transcendentalists that have different views on freedom. Our project, representing freedom, shows a person how to live his or her life in a way of freedom shown by Emerson and Thoreau.

whether that be a different person or group. Taking challenges into ones own hands instead of waiting

In a constantly updating world, eventually cultural diffusion causes changes to a society 's views and practices over a period of time. With many religious pressures in Europe and the constant switch between Catholicism and Protestantism, a group called the Puritans moved to America to start life anew. The Puritan lifestyle took hold of America’s New England colonies and became a theocracy of how people lived their lives. People lived by the Puritan interpretation of the New Testament with harsh forms of punishment for the violation of even the most simple sins. Because of this restricting lifestyle and new ideas like the Enlightenment which caused intellectual reforms, people started to break away from the extreme Puritan philosophy. Another movement occurring in America called Transcendentalism, on the other side of the spectrum of Puritanism, started with writer Ralph Waldo Emerson, specifically with his essay “Nature”. Emerson depicts the prime example of the breaking away from strict religion to Transcendentalism. In America, Emerson was a priest who had been ridiculed and had traveled to Europe to find himself. After meeting up with writers of the Romanticism movement, he fell in love with it and brought it back to America under the name of Transcendentalism. Puritanism and Transcendentalism have opposing philosophies which include their view on people, philosophy and God , and on nature through essays and texts by: William Bradford, Anne

Ralph Waldo Emerson, the pioneer of the transcendentalist movement and Edgar Allan Poe, the pioneer of the American gothic movement, had ideas that sought to explain the state of mankind; ideas which were considered revolutionary for their time. It can be argued that both authors speak about something the soul longs for. Emerson encourages individuals to be self-reliant, which is to be true to oneself. On the other hand, Poe writes much darker works that deal with the human psyche and directly confront the problem of evil. Poe’s “The Imp of the Perverse” and “The Black Cat” can be read as criticisms and refutations of transcendentalist ideas, such as Emerson’s, by analyzing why the narrators commit murder and expose themselves.

Transcendentalism was a huge cultural movement in the nineteenth century; however, the ideas of the movement still continue to influence our society in the twenty-first century. These ideas of Transcendentalism have continued to exist throughout many years because the ideas remain relevant to society. In fact, the problems that many Transcendentalist writers encountered still happen today in new forms. These similar problems include conformity, the role of government in society, and the importance of nature. In general, people still feel that society needs to better itself for the benefit of all individuals, which is at the heart of Transcendentalism. Some of the ideas that Transcendentalists constantly defended included individualism,

There have been numerous religious rebellions throughout history, but none quite like that of Transcendentalism. This movement embodies the idea that spiritual growth can be achieved through personal journey instead of conflicting with organized religion. By the time of the movement’s onset, newly gained religious freedom in the United States allowed for new ideas and beliefs to prosper freely. At the heart of this movement was Transcendentalism philosophy famous ambassadors, Ralph Waldo Emerson and apprentice Henry David Thoreau. These men believed nature is what forces us not to depend on other ideas but to develop our own.