1. Transcendentalism “We have listened too long to the courtly muses of Europe. We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; and we will speak our own minds.” Ralph Waldo Emerson-1837

2. Transcendentalism An aspect of Romanticism 1840-1855

3. Transcendentalism: a philosophical and literary movement that believed that everyone was divine (sacred).

4. Transcendent: “concerned with a spiritual reality that is beyond the limits of experience and knowable only through intuition”

5. Transcendentalism Transcendentalists believed that all humans are good by nature and that to discover “the truth” we must transcend (or go beyond) our ordinary experiences in the physical world. We must look to nature for the truth.

6. Basic Tenets 1.Ultimate reality goes beyond human experience 2.Emphasis on intuition 3.Profound Optimism/Confidence 4.Self-reliance 5.Belief in human perfectibility

7. Basic Tenets 6. Originality/Non-conformity/Free thought 7. Simplicity 8. Harmony with/importance of nature 9. Anti-materialism 10. Take action to correct injustices

8. Ralph Waldo Emerson Works to be studied: “Nature” (manifesto of American Trans.) “The American Scholar” (our intellectual Declaration of Independence) “Self-Reliance” (anti-government)

9. Emerson’s Over-soul The human soul is part of the Over-soul (universal spirit) Every individual is to be respected because everyone has a portion of that Over-soul The Over-soul can be found everywhere; traveling to holy places is not necessary The Over-soul can be found in both nature and human nature (nature can be spiritual)

10. Summary of the Over-Soul Human, Nature and Over-Soul are all connected Draw triangle to connect all three.

11. Henry David Thoreau Works to be studied: Walden (similar to Emerson’s “Nature” “Civil Disobedience” (anti-government)

12. Civil Disobedience  The active refusal to obey laws or demands of government  Does not resort to physical violence  Ghandi, Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr. practiced civil disobedience

13. Homework For homework: Read the handout on Transcendentalism/Anti- Transcendentalism. Highlight any 10 main ideas that you find relevant, insightful, interesting, etc. Be prepared to share your findings in class tomorrow!