UNIT 4: CULTURAL CONFLICT LESSON 4.4: TRANSCENDENTALISM

focus What was the main difference between the first and 2nd Great Awakening? What were the two main strains of the 2nd Great Awakening? What was the immediate impact of the 2nd Great Awakening? How did the 2nd Great Awakening impact the South? What is the legacy of the Great Awakening?

transcendentalism

Activate https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=3VoeW5l8Qlg What do you believe the main theme of transcendentalism is?

Major figures of Transcendentalism The major figures in the movement were Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau Google both men and write down 3 important facts for each that relates to the subject matter we are studying.

Event Summary- Emerson

Thoreau

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.

AP 2 Summarize in your own words what Transcendentalism is.

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:

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. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6CKqUNuZdE

AP 3 5 words

Activity Comparing Henry David Thoreau, Gandhi, MLK in regard to Civil Disobedience. Primary source document analysis. Cooperative learning activity. 3 2 1 OR Reform Movements reteaching activity

Learning Log Today I learned………………….. 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? How were later reformers such as Gandhi and MLK inspired by the Thoreau? To what extent is U.S. history a history of progress?