1. Transcendentalism Mid 1830’s- late 1840’s

2. Major Writers: Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Margaret Fuller

3. The Transcendentalists grew out of the Unitarian Church. They rejected the beliefs of the elders, and called themselves the “New School,” or “Movement Party.” In time they became known as Transcendentalists.

4. Transcendentalists were united by the belief that we all possess a divine spark, and that human beings enter the world trailing clouds of glory. This purity and innocence is lost over time, and salvation (if you can call it that) consists of connecting once again with the divinity within us.

5. They believed in: (1)the glories of the individual spirit (2)the study of nature (3) turning one’s back on material rewards

6. Transcendentalists believed in human intuition. The truth of religion is found in one’s soul. They refused to bow to any external authority.

7. Transcendentalists believe people spend too much time accumulating “things,” which fill our homes, but do not fulfill our lives.

8. While Transcendentalism's ambivalence about any communal effort that would compromise individual integrity prevented it from creating lasting institutions, it helped set the terms for being an intellectual in America.