UNIT 4: CULTURAL CONFLICT

1. UNIT 4: CULTURAL CONFLICT LESSON 4.4: TRANSCENDENTALISM

2. WARM UP • What do you think the word “transcendentalism” means? What does it mean to “transcend”?

3. Major figures of Transcendentalism • The major figures in the movement were Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir, Margaret Fuller and Amos Bronson Alcott.

4. What is Transcendentalism? • Transcendentalism was a philosophical movement that was developed in the 1830s and 1840s in the Eastern region of the United States as a protest to the general state of culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard University and the doctrine of the Unitarian church taught at Harvard Divinity School. Among the transcendentalists' core beliefs was the inherent goodness of both people and nature. Transcendentalists believed that society and its institutions—particularly organized religion and political parties—ultimately corrupted the purity of the individual. They had faith that people are at their best when truly "self-reliant" and independent. It is only from such real individuals that true community could be formed.

5. History of Transcendentalism • The publication of Ralph Waldo Emerson's 1836 essay Nature is usually considered the watershed moment at which transcendentalism became a major cultural movement. Emerson wrote in his speech "The American Scholar": "We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; Divine Soul which also inspires all men." Emerson closed the essay by calling for a revolution in human consciousness to emerge from the brand new idealist philosophy: • Youtube video

6. Impact of Transcendentalism on American society • Transcendentalism was in many aspects the first notable American intellectual movement. It certainly was the first to inspire succeeding generations of American intellectuals, as well as a number of literary monuments. • Transcendentalists were strong believers in the power of the individual and divine messages.

7. Activity • Comparing Henry David Thoreau, Ghandi, MLK in regard to Civil Disobedience.

8. Reflection • In your journal, summarize what you have learned today in regard to what Transcendentalism is and its impact on American society. • What does the word “transcend” mean? • Who are some of the major figures of transcendentalism? • What are the core beliefs of transcendentalists? • What is the impact of transcendentalism on society? • To what extent is U.S. history a history of progress?