1. By: Gwen, Bianca, & Joe Transcendentalism

2. 2 ~Transcendentalism was a religious and philosophical movement that flourished in the late 1820’s in the Eastern part of the United States ~Transcendentalists viewed a situation that they deemed unfair or inappropriate in terms of what they believed in, and they would write against it. ~Transcendentalism was a rebellion against the “general state of culture and society (1.)” ~The roots of transcendentalism can be traced to Concord, Maine, Boston, Massachusetts, and Vermont (2.) ~Transcendentalism is about rebelling to a political society in general and fights for basic human rights. What Is Transcendentalism?

3. 3 ~Ralph Waldo Emerson ~Henry David Thoreau ~Magaret Fuller ~Frederick Douglass ~Emily Dickinson Some Influential Authors

4. 4 Ralph Waldo Emerson

5. 5 ~Born in May of 1803 in Boston to a family of eight, Emerson helped start the Transcendental Club, a group of ideas that surrounded the soul and nature. ~His father was a minister of the First Unitarian Church Of Boston. ~He graduated from Harvard at the age of 18. ~Anonymously published Nature, a romantic work that essentially began the Transcendental Club (3.) ~Emerson ironically was a part of a movement that went against what his father taught: Unitarianism. ~He passed away on April 27, 1882 in Concord, Maine (4.) Ralph Waldo Emerson

6. 6 Henry David Thoreau

7. 7 ~Henry David Thoreau was born in Concord, Massachusetts, on July 12, 1817. ~He was also an antislavery activist. ~His best known work is Walden, a true story about living in the woods because he wanted a quieter and a more peaceful place to write (6.) ~He is also known for Civil Disobedience, an essay about his experience getting arrested for nonpayment of his poll tax (7.) ~He passed away from tuberculosis on May 6, 1862 in his town of birth. ~Henry David Thoreau a prominent figure of what was later known as the American Rensaissance. Henry David Thoreau

8. 8 Margaret Fuller

9. 9 ~Sarah Margaret Fuller was born on May 23, 1810, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She was the first of nine children, and the only one of them to surpass five years old. ~She wrote about themes such as gender roles and women’s right, and political reform. ~Her primary work is an essay called “The Great Lawsuit. Man versus Men. Woman versus Women”. ~She passed away in 1850 (8). Margaret Fuller

10. 10 Frederick Douglass

11. 11 ~Fredrick Douglass was an escaped slave and a leader during the abolitionist movement. ~His fight for equality throughout his works was a theme that frequently occurred through transcendentalist works. ~One of his works, “A Plea For Free Speech”, was published in 1860 and fought for the freedom for free speech for everyone (9). He was going against what higher society’s point of view was right, and was fighting for what the minority thought was right. Frederick Douglass

12. 12 Emily Dickinson

13. 13 ~Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst, Massachusetts, in 1830. She was a prominent lawyer in Amherst. ~She was educated in Amherst Academy for only one year. ~The religion that she grew up with was Puritanism, which was the main religion of New England at the time. ~Transcendentalism was influenced by romanticism and the rebellion against a strict religion, so through writing, Emily Dickinson was able to free herself from the ever-tightening chains of Puritanism (10). ~Though she was not essentially a Transcendentalist writer, her poetry was widely regarded by Ralph Waldo Emerson and read his works eagerly. ~As a poet, Emily Dickinson wrote simple poems and was deeply concerned about the world and how she viewed it. Emily Dickinson

14. 14 Louisa May Alcott

15. 15 ~Louisa May Alcott was the second daughter of Amos Bronson Alcott and Abigail “Abba” May. She was born on November 29, 1832. ~When she was very young, her family moved from Germantown, Pennsylvania to Boston, Massachusetts. Her father began to pursue a teaching career at this new location. ~In two and a half months, Louisa May Alcott was able to complete her best- known novel, Little Women, which was based around her life growing up with her three other sisters. ~When she was diagnosed with typhoid fever, Alcott was poisoned by mercury and wrote two books, Hospital Sketches and Moods, based on her experiences. ~Louisa May Alcott died on March 6, 1888, from mercury poisoning (11). Louisa May Alcott

16. 16 ~Ralph Waldo Emerson was considered the “leader” of the Transcendentalist movement because of his rebellion against Unitarianism. His starting of the Transcendental Club was the beginning of a widespread philosophical movement. ~Henry David Thoreau, because he lived in the woods for a long period of time by himself, was a member of the Transcendentalists. He also had his beliefs against slavery and was an abolitionist writer. ~Margaret Fuller wrote about women’s rights and fought for rights against the patriarchy. ~Frederick Douglass was a Transcendentalist writer because, like Thoreau, was an abolitionist writer. How Were All The Authors Transcendentalists?

17. 17 ~Emily Dickinson wrote about themes such as religion and romanticism. She wrote against popular Puritan beliefs, and created her own life through her characters and wrote for them to do things that Puritans were strictly against. ~Louisa May Alcott wrote about women, which was unpopular during the middle to late nineteenth century. She exhibited her beliefs for women and her experiences with women through Little Women. How were all the authors Transcendentalists?

18. 18 1."Transcendentalism Began as a Protest against the General State Ofculture and Society at the Time, and in Particular, the Stat." Transcendentalism Began as a Protest against the General State Ofculture and Society at the Time, and in Particular, the Stat. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. 2."Ideas - Introduction to Transcendentalism." Ideas - Introduction to Transcendentalism. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. 3."Ralph Waldo Emerson." Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. 4."Biography." Biography. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. 5."Henry David Thoreau." Henry David Thoreau. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. 6."Why Did Thoreau Live in the Woods?" Why Did Thoreau Live in the Woods? N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. 7."About Thoreau: Civil Disobedience | Walden Woods." About Thoreau: Civil Disobedience | Walden Woods. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. 8."PAL: Sarah Margaret Fuller (1810-1850)." PAL: Sarah Margaret Fuller (1810-1850). N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. 9."Frederick Douglass." Frederick Douglass. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013 10."Emily Dickinson"I Dwell in Possibility"(Johnson 657)." Dickinson, #657. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. 11. "About the Author." Little Women, Louisa May Alcott:. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2013. Sources