The Transcendentalist Movement Shaped America

Transcendentalism is an American literary, political and philosophical movement of the early nineteenth century, centered around Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ideologically speaking, the movement is not simply to define since its philosophical and religious ideas are marked with a certain mysticism, which defies concise explanation. As well, the transcendentalism had been approached and interpretated by its followers in different ways and these differences embroil generalizations about the movement as a whole. Along Ralph Waldo Emerson, other important transcententalists were Henry David Thoreau, Frederic Henry Hedge, Amos Bronson Alcott and Margaret Fuller. Regarding the world from a radical perspective, the transcendentalists found their inspiration

During the period of Transcendentalism, the point was to stand up and to think for yourselves. The Transcendentalist valued the importance of awareness, and had an interest in social reform and injustices. They often spoke out against authority and held an extreme disdain for past authorities. One of the most important parts of Transcendentalism is the concept of extreme individualism. To a Transcendentalist, an individual must be aware of the goodness they possess within and they must be able to use that to encourage others. People need to find their way in life and learn to trust their inner-self. They believed that a person does not need society to tell them how they act or what to believe in. Henry David Thoreau believed in the greatness of people. In “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau urges people to practice activism, by this he means that when the government is unfair, people must distance themselves from the corrupt government and fight for what they believe to be right.

Emerson, like his student Thoreau, as was a major member of the transcendental movement that occurred in America during the time period. Marked by a focus on the spirituality of nature and

Oscar Wilde once said that, “To live is the rarest thing in the world. Most people exist, that is all.” The founders of transcendentalism: Emerson, Whitman, Thoreau, and Dickinson worked together to show everyone the different perspectives of the concept. They analyzed transcendental philosophies and demonstrated how the individual must rebel against societal conformity in order to seize the day and make life extraordinary, yet willingly accept the consequences that it entails.

An influential literary movement in the nineteenth century, transcendentalism placed an emphasis on the wonder of nature and its deep connection to the divine. As the two most prominent figures in the transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau whole-heartedly embraced these principles. In their essays “Self-Reliance” and “Civil Disobedience”, Emerson and Thoreau, respectively, argue for individuality and personal expression in different manners. In “Self-Reliance”, Emerson calls for individuals to speak their minds and resist societal conformity, while in “Civil Disobedience” Thoreau urged Americans to publicly state their opinions in order to improve their own government.

American Transcendentalism is a period of expression where was originally about the reform movement of the church, it was to represent the soul of the individual having a connection to nature. It has impacted society through the influence of the ideas that still exist today, the idea of spirituality and the soul's infinite connection.

In the early mid-nineteenth century, a philosophical movement known as transcendentalism took root and flourished in America. It evolved into a predominantly literary expression which placed an emphasis on the corruptions of organized religion, political parties, and societal involvement; above all, the movement promoted the wonders of “nature” and its deep connection to the divine. The adherents through transcendentalism believed that knowledge could be arrived through intuition and contemplation of the internal spirit rather than by the means of the senses. As the two most prominent figures in the transcendentalist movement, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau whole-heartedly embrace the principles of nature

During the nineteenth century, Americans in New England were beginning to think highly of themselves and think with optimism. This time was called Transcendentalism. During this time, there were numerous authors who benefitted greatly. Some of those authors included, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller. The Transcendentalist movement in New England influenced authors to write stories and think about life differently, which has affected American thought today.

Transcendentalism has influence the way writers write and live their own lives. Henry David Thoreau was one writer you embraced transcendentalism in every aspect of his life. Emerson’s work influenced Thoreau significantly. In March, 1845, Thoreau began to build a cabin, on the north shore of Waldon Pond. He moved near the pond to establish a life of bare necessities. He wanted to be as close to nature as possible to establish spiritual enlightenment. (McElrath 7) He lived the transcendental idealism. He lived with nature and removed all material life away for himself. He live only with the supplies need to survive. Even by building his cabin he showed many trait of a true Transcendentalist. Thoreau was self-reliant by using his own skill and knowledge to build his cabin. His own instincts was used to place his cabin on Waldon Pond.

American Transcendentalism was an important philosophical and literary movement which placed an emphasis on staying true to one’s beliefs and expressing oneself no matter the situation or consequence. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau fully embraced these beliefs as their influence has allowed these

Men, women, and children are all called at one time in their life “to look to the stars” and this mysticism beckons them closer (369). Stars are always there every night to be seen and to help humans reflect from their beauty. Except stars are not the only way to reflect, there are the leaves, the sun, and everything else in nature. Nature is the foundation of life and it is the center of transcendentalism and many other philosophies and religions. Overall, authors and supporters of the transcendental philosophy would disagree on how American society treats children and technology.

Transcendentalism influenced the 19th century and emphasized on the value of the individual and intuition. It was an idea that people were at their best when they we self reliant and independent. Ralph Waldo Emerson was the movements most important figure along with his main follower Henry David Thoreau. These two people were the most influential people during this movement. Transcendentalism was all about being an individual and it still endures today in modern culture. It is particularly evident in modern music. Modern music expresses individuality and the idea of being something other than the majority.

As America continued to grow and developed so did its writers. A major changed came with writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Emerson was an American philosopher, poet and the leader of the Transcendentalist movement. This movement started as a protest against the current state of the society and culture; and was based on a fundamental belief in the unity of the world and God. "Emerson declared literary independence in the United States and urged Americans to create a writing style all their own and free from Europe" (Ralph). This type of methodology is easily portrayed in his two stories, The American Scholar, and Self Reliance. Thoreau was a nonconformist and attempted to live his life at all times according to his rigorous principles, which became the subject of many of his writings. In "Walden", Thoreau not only tests the theories of Transcendentalism, he re-enacts the collective American experience of the 19th century, living on the frontier. The overall story of "Walden" is in fact a view on Thoreau's radical and controversial perspective of society. Many of Thoreau's repeated, irrelevant details can be traced to his description of what is wrong with the American society. He believed that the society is extremely overwhelmed with material things and they often seem to think that is what matters

Transcendentalism was a movement that promoted nineteenth-century literary and philosophical beliefs, which influenced many writers and Americans. A key concept of the transcendentalism movement was individuality and staying true to oneself in a society that wants to make individuals fit in. The movement was mainly influenced by writers Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, who had beliefs of spiritualism, individualism, self-improvement, and moral protest. Both writers included various themes of transcendentalism in their writings, but a unifying theme between the writings from class was standing up for original ideas and not conforming to society’s beliefs. Each piece encourages finding answers for oneself, and this transcendental

The American Renaissance was a revolution for literature and writers in America itself that emphasized cultural authority. The American Renaissance took place throughout the nineteenth century, primarily in the early segment of this era. According to, The Norton Anthology of American Literature, “the idea of American Renaissance has been so influential in part of the literature of this time period, and was crucial to the development of American literary traditions” (4). This created a diverse movement apart of the American Renaissance reform called, Transcendentalism. The Transcendentalism period which outlined majority of the Renaissance, was led by writer, Ralph Waldo Emerson. Transcendentalism is largely defined by the ideals of, religion, self reliance, civil disobedience, individualism, idealism, nonconformity, and nature. Emerson outlined the reform and countless parts of these Transcendentalism ideals, for writers soon to follow this movement. The Norton Anthology of American Literature, presents Emerson’s language as, “…no American writer who placed greater importance on the reader’s active interpretive role in generating new meanings and new ways of seeing the world” (214). Ralph Waldo Emerson’s language was a formation composed of idealism and a philosophical literary movement. Founding father Ralph Emerson, contributed to Transcendentalism by the primary ideals of Nature, and Individualism. These ideals are all exhibited in Emerson’s essays, “Nature”,