1. Transcendentalism 19 th Century Hippies

2. What is Transcendentalism?  Hard to define: Even the leaders of the movement disagreed about its principles.  Cross between Enlightenment and Romanticism:  Write poetry and essays

3. Key Ideas  Individuality: Be true to yourself. Only rely on yourself.  Non-Conformity: Do not bend to the wishes of society. Do what you think is right.  Intuition: Listen to your inner voice. You were born knowing what is right for you.

4. More Key Ideas…  Nature: Have a very strong relationship with it.  Transcendentalists see spirituality in everything.  God is everywhere. In people and in nature.  Needs of people do not outweigh the needs of nature.

5. The Writers  Ralph Waldo Emerson  Father of Transcendentalism  Wrote “Self Reliance”  Henry David Thoreau  “Civil Disobedience” and Walden.