1. Nature and Individualism – Transcendentalism
Emerson & Thoreau

2. Transcendentalism – What is it?
Refers to a new perspective on the world—at least, new in the first of half of the 19th century in America—in the form of a literary and spiritual reawakening that got its start in Massachusetts in the 1830s when a group of folks took a look at nature and went, "Huh. Neat."
But the Transcendentalists were not only literary men and women who had a thing for trees; they were religious and social reformists with a master plan. They believed that we needed to re-think the way we live our lives in order to reconnect to God, and not through the Church, but instead—yep, you guessed it—through nature.

3. Transcendentalism – Looking through the Lens of Nature
And how might we do that? For starters, we needed to develop our sense of individuality. According to them, we're all constrained by social pressures and conventions that lead us away from our true selves, and away from happiness. Pretty bogus on the part of society, huh?
The Transcendentalists, therefore, felt that we needed to undergo a reincarnation of sorts. We had to let go of our dependence on society, and we needed to embrace nature. By doing that, we would not only find ourselves, we would also find God. Pretty good as far as a package deal goes. So the Transcendentalists wrote countless essays, poems and articles articulating these views.
While the Transcendentalists were a small and controversial group when they first got going in the 1830s, their influence on American literature and culture has been very long-lasting. Individualism, that most sacred of American values, is prized today in American culture largely thanks to the Transcendentalists, who were the first to teach us the importance of following our own hearts and minds.

4. Transcendentalism – Facts
The Transcendentalists weren't so much a clearly organized movement or group, but rather an affiliation of writers and thinkers with similar views.
Many Transcendentalist writers—like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Walt Whitman—are also associated with American Romanticism.
Transcendentalism was a movement that melded religious and literary ideas.
Many important Transcendentalists were also social reformists who campaigned for the abolition of slavery and for women's rights, among other issues.
Although the Transcendentalists didn't have an official leader, Ralph Waldo Emerson is generally considered to be the man who was at the center of the movement.
Transcendentalism was a movement that was very much tied to a specific place: New England, and particularly Massachusetts, where most of the Transcendentalist writers lived and worked.

5. Transcendentalism and British Romanticism
Emerson and other transcendentalists were influenced by the writings of William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge who believed that the individual came first over the community/institution whether religious, social, political, or economic because they were suspect as being flase, materialistic, and deadening to an individual’s pure insight.
British Romanticism emphasized personal insight (intuition), as a privileged form of knowledge.
This fierce adherence to individuality, a main theme in Emerson’s writing, influenced the progressive social movement of the mid-19th century.
Individuality came to be recognized as a God-given right, a belief that holds as true today as it did during Emerson’s life.

6. Transcendentalism Essays
Essays - In essays like Emerson's "Nature" or "Self-Reliance," Transcendentalist writers sought to convince their audiences of their perspective on stuff. The essay form fit this aim because essays could be published in periodicals or delivered as lectures, a double-whammy that helped in reaching wide audiences.
In his essay “Civil Disobedience”, Thoreau, feels that he should be able to respect the actions of his government to obey it.
In his essay “ Walden”, Thoreau speaks of simplifying your life.
Watch: Shmoop – Ralph Waldo Emerson – Self-Reliance. ( )
Discuss: Are there redeeming qualities to Emerson’s thoughts on Self-Reliance?

7. Transcendentalism Essays
ASSIGNMENT:
In 4 small groups - READ: Self-Reliance, Nature, Civil Disobedience and Walden
Summarize the essay, outlining the important points – What is the author trying to say?
Teach the class – they will be taking notes.

8. Transcendentalism Poetry
A lot of the Transcendentalist writers wrote poetry as well as essays. If essays allowed them to present their Transcendentalist ideas in a clear, coherent form, poetry allowed them to express the more mystical, more intuitive aspect of their ideology.
Poetry, after all, is based on the power of imagery and language. Poetry is suggestive, and it allowed Transcendentalist writers to suggest the nature of the "truths" and insights that they tried to explicate in their essays, but which went beyond the rational mind.

9. Transcendentalism - Individualism
Individualism is a really important idea, and a way of life, for the Transcendentalists. They believed that a big reason people feel unhappy or dissatisfied is that they try too hard to conform. And hey, we can't help it: we live in society, and when we see everyone around us wearing trendy t-shirts and big glasses and iPhones, we feel that we have to do it too, even if we think the Android might have better features.
So the Transcendentalists insisted that we needed to ditch all of those social pressures that make us want to conform. We need to follow our own path. If we want to drop our jobs as bankers and spend the rest of our lives fly-fishing, then why not? As long as it makes us happy.
As long as we our true to ourselves and to our own individuality we can't go wrong. Doesn't that sound like the American Dream? Or does it?

10. Transcendentalism - Nature
Those Transcendentalists sure loved taking long walks, hugging trees, and sniffing flowers. Like, they really loved nature. They felt that industrialization—which was sweeping through the country at the time that they started writing, with Mac products close behind—was taking people away from nature. And that was a bad thing. Even if your 6 has a really sweet camera.
For the Transcendentalists, nature is the place where we not only find ourselves, but where we can be ourselves. Unlike mean ole society, nature doesn't put any pressure on us to behave in a certain way or conform to social standards.
Nature doesn't judge us the way people do. And for that reason it's where we can be most free.
Plus, the Transcendentalists believed that nature gives us access to God. It's by contemplating the wonder of nature that we can connect to God. Nature's power, in other words, reflects God's power. So whether you're in it for God or for streaking through the meadows, Transcendentalism can show you where it's at.

11. Transcendentalism – Social Reform
The Transcendentalists weren't just out for religion: they were social and political rebels. They believed that society, as it stood, needed some serious retooling. Treatment of women? Appalling. Slavery? Get rid of it. Conformism? Yep, that's part of the problem too.
Let's get specific: some of the most famous Transcendentalists, like Henry David Thoreau, were committed abolitionists who wrote, lectured, and campaigned against slavery.
As for women's rights, this was another big issue the Transcendentalists liked to make noise about. Margaret Fuller, a writer who was also one of the leading Transcendentalists, wrote about the subjugation of women and fought for women's rights.
Transcendentalism – Social Reform

12. Reasons for the Rise of Transcendentalism – early 1800s
First, it was a humanistic philosophy – it put the individual right at the center of the universe and promoted respect for human capabilities.
It was part of a reaction against increasing industrialization in the late 18th and 19th centuries, and against the dehumanization and materialism that frequently accompanied it.
Transcendentalism grew to maturity at a time when the nature of work and the role of labor were undergoing tremendous change before their eyes and very close to home.
Secondly, a dissatisfaction with the spiritual inadequacy of established religion was on the rise. People were looking for a more humanistic, emotionally expressive and socially conscious form of religion – a personal rather than institutional connection to the divine.
Thirdly, there was a rise in education, travel, sharing ideas, books were being published and brought back to America. Elizabeth Palmer Peabody (a teacher, who later married Nathaniel Hawthorne) opened the 1st circulating library in Boston to help supply her friends with the latest literature.
Reasons for the Rise of Transcendentalism – early 1800s

13. Major Emphasis of American Transcendentalism
Reaches beyond what can be expressed in words or understood in logical or rational thinking to seek the genesis of our existence.
By gaining a new understanding, we attain a heightened awareness of the world and our rightful place in it.
Emerson refers to this all-encompassing force that he credits for the mystery of our existence by various terms: God, the Universal Being, the Over-Soul.
Emerson closely identifies nature with this force, to the extent that his belief is that God coexists with nature – sharing similar powers, rather than being power beyond it.
According to transcendentalists like Emerson, a person who follows intuition and remains faithful to personal vision will become a more moral, idealistic individual.
Major Emphasis of American Transcendentalism

14. Affects of Transcendentalism on Society
Thoreau, who was a contemporary of Emerson, went to jail rather than pay taxes to support America’s involvement in the Mexican War. (protest – critique/ change what he perceived was an evil in society)
Transcendentalism provided a major philosophical foundation for the abolition of slavery. Alcott, Margaret Fuller, Elizabeth Peabody, Emerson and Thoreau were all verbal regarding their beliefs against slavery. Thoreau actually formed part of the Underground railroad in Concord.
Teaching and educational reform were major activities to which Transcendentalists devoted their energies. Alcott served as Superintendent of Schools in Concord and established the Concord School of Philosophy – an early experiment in adult/continuing education. Elizabeth Peabody opened the first American kindergarten in Boston 1860.
Affects of Transcendentalism on Society

15. Transcendentalism in Modern Society
Movies and novels are founded on transcendentalism principles: “Conformity is a theme that permeates the very fabric of society. It forces people to sacrifice individuality to gain acceptance.”
Social Forces such as peer pressure subdue our natural desire to stand apart.
Free thought is much more acceptable today. Nothing is “sacred” or “taboo” anymore with comedians, writers, TV, movies, etc.

16. Nonconformity - Incredibles by Pixar
In the Incredibles, society tells the family to blend in and be like everyone else, but this leads to trouble. By the end of the movie, the family ends up using their powers and to save the city.

17. Importance of Nature - Wall-E by Pixar
Wall-E is a perfect example of the importance of nature and of Earth itself. In Wall-E, Earth has degenerated and clean up efforts have failed. Wall-E, throughout the movie is teaching confidence and the value of Earth, and saves the day by rescuing the humans from their interesting condition and leading them back to Earth.

18. Current Ties to Transcendentalism
In groups, think of a modern day example for THREE of five following aspects of Transcendentalism
Non-conformity
Importance of nature
Self-Reliance
Civil Disobedience
Simplified Life
List the example and write a brief (2+ sentence) description on how your modern day example is representative of that aspect of Transcendentalism.

19. Current Ties to Transcendentalism
Some major concepts have persisted and become foundational in American thought.
Probably the most important of these is the affirmation of the right of individuals to follow the truth as they see it, even when contrary to established laws or customs.
Gandhi, Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr.
Star Wars, The Help, other movies or books?

20. References
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