1. Transcendentalism
Emerson
Thoreau
Dickinson
Whitman

2. Background Transcendentalism really began to take shape in the 1830s
Remember Romanticism was popular during this time. Romanticism started in Europe and branched out to America.
19th century scholars took the Romanticism beliefs and added unique American elements to create Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism eventually moved America away from its European past and into a new entirely American future

3. Background Continued Immanuel Kant
As a German Philosopher, Immanuel Kant was well aware of the influence of Romanticism on American Literature.
In a writing of his, Kant was the first to use the term Transcendentalism to describe the New England based movement.

4. What is it?
Transcendentalism is not just a literary genre, but an entire beliefs system
Here are a few things Transcendentalists believe:
All humans are inherently good
The focus should be on the individual and therefore individual intuition leads to truth
One can obtain a natural state of being by finding solace in mother nature
Society corrupts the individual
God, nature, and man are all connected in a universal over-soul

5. Romantic Influences
Just to review Transcendentalism evolved from Romanticism so there is a lot of overlap. Here are a few things:
Defiant Individualism
Reverence of Nature
Quest for solitude
Intuition leads to truth
Celebrates the imagination
A person must discover his or her own truth and allow that to guide them

6. How did Transcendentalism Influence People?
Transcendentalism encouraged people not to conform to society
You can be whoever you want to be!
Conforming is preventable and highly discouraged
Everyone should be unique

7. Why should you care?
Transcendentalism is so interwoven into American ideology we don't even realize it today.
The self made person who is highly respected owes a debt to Transcendentalists and their beliefs in following intuition
A person's ability to freely express him or herself through clothing, music, and lifestyle choices is based off of the Transcendentalist belief in not conforming
Likewise your ability to express your opinions and attitudes in my classroom about Transcendentalism is indebted to the philosophy behind Transcendentalism

8. Why should you care continued!?
Americans weren't always so open and did oppress people when the country was first formed (Native Americans, African Americans, Women); however, Transcendentalists and people who adapted the beliefs helped paved the way for our modern and more accepting society. No we haven't eradicated all prejudice, but we have made great strides in the right direction in the last 165 years, beginning with the Transcendentalists.
The idea of showing one another respect because we all have inherent value as individuals is rooted in the Transcendentalist belief in the shared universal soul
Learning about Transcendentalism:
Gives everyone a context and history for fundamental American beliefs
Empowers individuals to form their own identity regardless of what others think
Opens up conversations about individualism, therefore ensuring that the philosophy survives
Celebrates a literary movement that is entirely American and therefore reinforces our modern American beliefs

9. Ralph Waldo Emerson He is the founder of Transcendentalism
Born in 1803 and raised in Boston Massachusetts
Emerson traveled to Europe speaking with writers such as Thomas Carlyle and Williams Wordsworth
He soon gathered his new found knowledge into what is now Transcendentalism
He began writing and lecturing once he had returned to Massachusetts
Throughout his life Emerson spoke at about 1500 public lectures, spreading his ideas across America and Canada
So Transcendentalism began right here in Mass!!

10. Henry David Thoreau
As a child growing up in Concord Massachusetts, Henry David Thoreau appeared to always go against rules. He had always envisioned doing things his way. In 1845, Thoreau ventured to Walden Pond where he built a cabin in order to seek isolation and find relief in nature. Later, he took the lessons he learned from Emerson and his time spent at the Pond and wrote about it in his Novel called Walden. Along with other readings such as Civil Disobedience and Resistance to Civil Government, Thoreau voiced Transcendentalist beliefs; particularly highlighting it’s individualism and how vital intuition is.

11. Think-Write-Share
Have you ever been in a situation where you had to choose between something you thought was the right course of action and the course that others thought you should take? What was your final decision?