Back to the BasicsBack to the BasicsAn Introduction to Transcendentalism

Things to ponder:Things to ponder:1. How are you affected by nature? Do you find comfort in it? 2. Do you reflect the moods of nature? 3. What is the role of nature in your life? 4. What is meant by an individual’s spiritual side? How do you

define it? 5. Is there a connection between the individual’s spirit and

nature? If so, what is that connection? 6. What does it mean to know something intuitively? For

example, has a parent or a sibling ever known something was wrong with you without having talked with or seen you?

7. What do we mean when we say “I just know it”? 8. How do you demonstrate that you are an individual? Do you

think independently of others or do you follow the crowd?

TranscendentalismTranscendentalismFirst truly distinctive American literatureTranscendentalists were a group of poets

and philosophers – club formed in 1835 Followers wanted to “go beyond” the

limitations of the senses and discover higher truths and insights by using their intuition

TranscendentalistsTranscendentalists• Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882) -

Harvard graduate, had a brief stint as a Unitarian minister (like his father), wrote Self Reliance

• Henry David Thoreau (1818 – 1862) – Graduated Harvard at age 20, a dedicated nonconformist: tried to live by his own values instead of society’s, wrote Walden

1800-18501800-1850• President Thomas Jefferson – 1801

• Louisiana Purchase - 1803

• Lewis & Clark headed west – 1804

• Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo – 1815

• Beethoven completed the Ninth Symphony – 1823

• Webster’s first dictionary – 1828

• Population of America grew from five million in 1800 to over 23 million in 1850

• California Gold Rush started 1848

The TranscendentalistsThe Transcendentalists

Life on Walden PondLife on Walden Pond

Thoreau’s LegacyThoreau’s Legacy

A Time of ChangeA Time of Change

The Civil Rights MovementThe Civil Rights Movement

The Woodstock GenerationThe Woodstock Generation

Simplicity, Simplicity, SimplicitySimplicity, Simplicity, Simplicity