Download Historical Context and Background to Transcendentalism

Historical Context and Background to Transcendentalism
Background:
From pg. 363 of your textbook:

Transcendentalism was an intellectual movement founded by Emerson that
affected most of the writers of his day. The Transcendentalists believed that the
human senses can know only physical reality. To the Transcendentalists, the
fundamental truths of existence lay outside the reach of the senses and could be
grasped only through intuition. As a result, the Transcendentalists focused their
attention on the human spirit. They also had a deep interest in the natural world
and its relationship to humanity. Through the careful observation of nature, they
believed that the human spirit is reflected in the natural world. This led them to
the conclusion that formed the heart of their beliefs: All forms of being—God,
nature, and humanity—are spiritually united through a shared universal soul, or
Over-Soul.
From pg. 362 of your textbook:

During the 1830s and 1840s, Emerson and a small group of like-minded
intellectual friends gathered regularly in his study to discuss philosophy, religion,
and literature. Among them were Emerson’s protégé, Henry David Thoreau, as
well as educator Bronson Alcott, feminist writer Margaret Fuller, and exclergyman and author George Ripley. The group, known as the Transcendental
Club, developed a philosophical system that stressed intuition, individuality, and
self-reliance. In 1836, Emerson published “Nature,” a lengthy essay that became
the Transcendental Club’s unofficial statement of belief.

Defining the term “Transcendentalism”
-This word was made up by the Transcendentalist thinkers. However, you can
still figure out what it means. Think of what the word “transcends” means. How does
this apply to the philosophy we’ve been learning about?

Transcendentalism finds its roots in the European Philosophy of Kant and Plato.
It also has roots in Buddhism, and American ideals of freedom and independence.

One of Emerson’s central questions: Where do we find ourselves? and How shall
I live?
Historical Context
Slavery
Mexican-American War
Cherokees
Seneca Falls Convention
Transcendentalists’ Impact:
1960s Civil Rights
National Parks
Other writers/artists/thinkers influenced by the Transcendentalists
Walt Whitman (poet, Leaves of Grass)
Louisa May Alcott (Little Women)
John Muir (famous naturalist and nature writer)
John Burroughs (famous naturalist and nature writer)
Robert Frost (poet, “Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…”)
Wallace Stevens (modernist poet)
The Indigo Girls
Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam
Movie, Into the Wild
President Theodore Roosevelt
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Mahatma Gandhi