Gourt > Society > Philosophy > History of Philosophy > 19th Century > American Transcendentalism (1)
Transcendentalism was a group of new ideas in literature, religion, culture, and philosophy that emerged in the New England region of the United States of America in the early-to mid-nineteenth century. It is sometimes called "American Transcendentalism" to distinguish it from other uses of the word transcendental. It began as a protest against the general state of culture and society at the time, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard and the doctrine of the Unitarian church which was taught at Harvard Divinity School. Among their core beliefs was an ideal spiritual state that 'transcends' the physical and empirical and is only realized through the individual's intuition, rather than through the doctrines of established religions.
Prominent Transcendentalists included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, as well as Bronson Alcott, Orestes Brownson, William Ellery Channing, Frederick Henry Hedge, Theodore Parker, and George Putnam.
History
The publication of Emerson's 1836 essay Nature is usually taken to be the watershed moment at which Transcendentalism became a major cultural movement. Emerson wrote in his essay "The American Scholar": "We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; we will speak our own minds...A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men." Emerson closed the essay by calling for a revolution in human consciousness to emerge from the new idealist philosophy: More on [ Transcendentalism ]
Emerson, Ralph Waldo :: 19th Century
Thoreau, Henry David :: 19th Century
@iamalyson theres 5 things in american hist. Constitutionalism, transcendentalism, Lincoln, Civil rights and the rest is zzzz..
melanieshere (melanie francisca) Tue, 17 Nov 2009 12:58:19 -0000
@iamalyson theres 5 things in american hist. Constitutionalism, transcendentalism, Lincoln, Civil rights and the rest is zzzz..
Ann Woodlief's Transcendentalism Web - Constructed in Spring 1999 by Virginia Commonwealth University graduate students studying in Ann Woodlief's Literature in Society course. Submissions of additional texts, papers, and links are invited.
American Transcendentalism - Description, definitions, bibliography, links, focused on students.
Meta Description: [ American Transcendentalism: Definitions, links, bibliography ]
Defining Transcendentalism - A definition of Transcendentalism, an important philosophical, religious, and literary movement of the early 19th century in the US. Transcendentalists include Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and others.
Meta Description: [ Two definitions of Transcendentalism, one from Ralph Waldo Emerson and one from a dictionary, with links to several other defintions and a longer explanatory essay. ]
Definitions of Transcendentalism - Towards a Definition of Transcendentalism: A Few Comments (from Henry David Gray, Emerson: A Statement of N. E. Transcendentalism as Expressed in the Philosophy of Its Chief Exponent, 1917)
New England Transcendentalism - Article by Leslie Perrin Wilson, M.S., M.A., Curator of Special Collections at the Concord Free Public Library. This idea, roughly written in revolutions and national movements, in the mind of the philosopher had far more precision; the individual is the world. (Emerson)
PAL: American Transcendentalism:An Brief Introduction - Paul Reuben's outline of Transcendentalism. [Many religious scholars would disagree with his definition of religion.]
Rise of Transcendentalism - Essay on the religious context and origins of Transcendentalism.
The Anti-Individualist Philosophy of Emerson and Thoreau - How Emerson and Thoreau failed to apply their non-conformist ideas consistently, making their philosophy of transcendentalism one of conformity rather than liberation.
The Transcendentalists - Comprehensive, easy-to-follow site on Transcendentalists includes guides to resources for Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, plus essays explaining Transcendentalism.
Meta Description: [ Comprehensive, easy-to-follow site on Transcendentalists includes guides to resources for Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, plus essays explaining Transcendentalism and information on others in the Transcendentalist circle. ]
Transcendentalism - Brief definition, plus some links.
Transcendentalism - Detailed history of American Transcendentalism.
Transcendentalism - Open-minded people must use common sense to determine whether God/Allah was incorrectly perceived, misinterpreted and misunderstood by the masses of a bygone era.
Transcendentalist Women (1) - Mary Moody Emerson, Margaret Fuller, from your About.com Guide to Women's History.
Meta Description: [ Margaret Fuller and Mary Moody Emerson. ]
Transcendentalist Women (2) - Harriet Martineau, the Peabody sisters and Julia Ward Howe, from your About.com Guide to Women's History.
Meta Description: [ Transcendentalist Women (2): The Peabody sisters (Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, Mary Tyler Peabody Mann, and Sophia
Amelia Peabody Hawthorne), Harriet Martineau and Julia Ward Howe. ]
What is Transcendentalism? - An introductory essay explaining the roots and basic ideas of Transcendentalism.
Meta Description: [ What is Transcendentalism? A basic guide for the confused. Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller and others of the American Romantic movement of the 19th century. ]
What is Transcendentalism? - From students at Virginia Commonwealth University.
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