1. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Self-Reliance
The American Scholar
Nature

2. Emerson
: Born in Boston, MA
Liked to go by “Waldo”

3. Emerson Father, William, was a Unitarian minister
Unitarians believe in the unity of all things. Don’t need to follow dogma.

4. Emerson Oldest of 8 children All boys 3 died in childhood
2 died in their 20’s

5. Emerson
Father died when Waldo was 8 years old

6. Emerson
: Attended Boston Public Latin School

7. Emerson 1817: Accepted to Harvard at 14 years old
Became youngest grad. of class of 1821

8. Emerson
1826: Began career as Unitarian minister

9. Emerson
1829: Married Ellen Tucker
He: 26
She: 18

10. Emerson
1831: Ellen died of tuberculosis
Made Emerson question life

11. Emerson Spent time in Europe Met British Romantic Poets: Wordsworth
Coleridge

12. Emerson 1835: Returned to settle in Concord, MA
1835: Married Lydia Jackson

13. Emerson
1836: Son born
(Waldo)

14. Emerson 1836: “Nature” (essay) published.
Outlined the Trans. Philosophy

15. Emerson “Nature” had a group of followers
Became known as the Transcendental Club

16. Emerson
Same year, gave up preaching to edit “The Dial” (newspaper) with Margaret Fuller

17. Emerson 1837: “The American Scholar” (essay) published
Called “America’s Intellectual Declaration of Independence”

18. Emerson 1838: Delivered a speech at Harvard Divinity School
Attacked the laxness of ministers

19. Emerson Became persona non grata for 30 yrs.
Means “person not welcome”

20. Emerson
1839: Daughter born
(Ellen)

21. Emerson
1841: Daughter born
(Edith)

22. Emerson
1841: “Self-Reliance” (essay) published

23. Emerson
1842: Son, Waldo, died
Scarlet Fever

24. Emerson 1844: Bought land with Walden Pond on it
Next year- Thoreau moved into his cabin & wrote Walden

25. Emerson
Known to have criticized President Lincoln

26. Emerson
(Lincoln continued)
Too concerned with saving the Union, not enough about ending slavery

27. Emerson 1866: Welcomed back to Harvard Awarded Honorary Degree
Elected to Board of Overseers- modernized curriculum

28. Emerson
1870: Health began to fail
Began losing memory

29. Emerson
1871: Delivered last lecture
In CA

30. Emerson
: Died in Concord
(Buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery)