Nationalism and Sectionalism in art, literature and language Week 2 Day 3

Noah Webster Many people consider Webster the father of the modern American English language. He developed alphabetical word lists, in book form, showing pictures, spelling, definitions and pronunciations. Webster’s dictionary expanded the scope of literacy across the U.S. School children used these resources to guide reading and learning

Neoclassical Architecture The type of building architecture that was widely used throughout the United States and Europe It was based on ancient Rome and Greece to demonstrate power and progress. Large columns, straight lines and domed roofs were common characteristics. The point of this ornate style to was show how advanced our nation was.

The Knickerbocker School During the early 1800s a group of writers in New York authored several famous novels [Legend of Sleepy Hollow] and poem collections. These men also wrote well respected historical novels [Last of the Mohicans] about important, significant events in U.S. History. Washington Irving’s pen name was Dietrich “Knickerbocker” which is partially why the group got its name. Washington Irving James Fennimore Cooper These American authors were respected and their books were read all over Europe

Hudson River School The Hudson River School was a style of painting that focused on landscapes. Natural scenes such as valleys, rivers, farms, hills and forests. The point of the style was to emphasize the importance, beauty, value and wonder of the environment in its natural state. The amazing images served to provide an awareness of the United States’ natural resources.

Transcendentalism [Transcend=Change] American writers such as Emerson and Thoreau wrote about how important it was to develop your own opinions based on life experience. These writers did not believe people should just blindly believe the teachings of Christian churches. They should decide what was right and wrong on their own. The point was to change one’s thought process. Through experiencing life you could decide for yourself. Both men traveled across the United States to experience its diversity. Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau

Famous American Authors A writing style that was popular in the mid 1800s was romanticism. The style focused on human emotion. The goal of the authors was to make you feel [ex: happy, sad, fear, anger, awe]. Edgar Allan Poe’s stories were considered dark because they focused on drug use, horror, murder, crime, death and disease. [Poe’s writings included The Raven, The Tell Tale Heart, The Black Cat] Nathaniel Hawthorne’s stories mostly focused on sin, lust, seduction and guilt. [Hawthorne’s writings included The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, Rappacini’s Daughter] Nathaniel Hawthorne Edgar Allan Poe

Alexis de Tocqueville Frenchman who visited the United States to learn about the prison system. He loved the fact that many citizens had property rights and vast freedoms. He hated slavery and predicted it would cause problems between the North and South. He wrote a book called Democracy in America describing what he learned in the U.S. de Tocqueville’s critiques were closely analyzed by American government officials

Image sources tocqueville.jpg