Transcendentalism

1. Transcendentalism By: Mr. Kercher, Mr. Carr, Mr. Schaible and Mr. Raphael

2. Background information/Descriptions Transcendentalism was a philosophical, religious and literary movement that stressed the importance of the individual over societal institutions and traditional beliefs. Transcendentalists believed people could “transcend” (rise above) the artificial constraints of reason and society. Transcendentalism was a reaction to the rigid structures of organized religion and economic systems that kept people “enslaved” and stressed the beauty of nature.

3. Important Leaders Amos Bronson (father) and Louisa May (daughter) Alcott were both influential transcendental figures. The father was a teacher and philosopher who was personally influenced by Emerson. As a teacher, he attempted to reform the traditional practices of education to include more individual instruction. He and many former students were involved in a number of reform movements of the period. One of his students, his second daughter Louisa May, was became an influential transcendentalist in her own right. Her most famous book, Little Women, details the struggle between individualism and the “cult of domesticity” for girls growing up during the mid-1800s. The recognized leader of the Transcendental movement, Emerson was an American poet and essayist. His essays Nature and Self-Reliance are widely considered the most influential works detailing transcendental thought. They stress how the individual spirit can overcome the conformist pressures of society. They had a personal relationship with and inspired many other transcendental writers, including Henry David Thoreau. Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Amos Bronson Alcott and Louisa May Alcott American poet and philosopher who was an early advocate for transcendental thought. His most famous book was Walden which stressed living a simple life surrounded by nature. His essay, Civil Disobedience, argued that people should fight laws that they feel to be unjust by breaking them. His works, and his own personal involvement in the movement, inspired many abolitionists.

4. Accomplishments Transcendentalism is widely considered the first unique American intellectual movement. Many individuals inspired by this movement will become the reformers that sought social change in the temperance, abolition and women’s suffrage movements. The transcendental ideals of self-reliance, positivism and individual freedom became synonymous with American artistic expression.

5. Connection to Jacksonian Democracy The transcendental belief in the dignity and inherent wisdom of every individual was inspired by the growth of democracy and the “rise of the common man.” Many transcendentalists objected to the “cult of domesticity” and the institution of slaveryand believed that increased democracy would eventually reform these problems. George Caleb Bingham, Stump Speaking, 1853

6. Multiple Choice Questions 1) Transcendentalism was a: • Religious movement • Literary movement • Philosophical movement • A and B only • All of the above

7. Multiple Choice Questions 2) Which of the following people would most likely be inspired by transcendentalism? • A South Carolina plantation owner • A slave on a South Carolina plantation • An abolition in South Boston • Andrew Jackson

8. Multiple Choice Questions 3) Henry David Thoreau more than likely would have: • supported Clay’s American System. • been fearful of decreasing voting restrictions to include poorer populations. • advocated for an increased sense of nationalism. • felt South Carolina was justified during the Nullification Crisis.