Good Example Of Essay On Transcendentalist Movement America

Transcendentalism refers to a set of new ideas in religion, culture, literature and philosophy, which emerged in the nineteenth century in New England. The transcendentalist movement began as a protest against the American society and its culture, especially the supremacy of the doctrine of the Unitarian church and intellectualism taught at the Harvard Divinity School . The transcendentalist movement was a spiritual rather than a religious movement. The transcendentalists expressed certain ideas, which were rebellious in nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson played a major role in leading the transcendentalist movement of the nineteenth century. He rebelled against the functioning of the American government. He linked nature and spirituality as the entities that controlled the body and soul of the individuals.
Emerson’s philosophical writings, over 1500 lectures and thousands of published essays criticized the society. He rejected the social, religious, educational and artistic traditions of the society as they were annoying and preposterous. In his works, Emerson expressed remarks on the Calvinist, Unitarian and the classical curriculum of the Harvard. In the speech at the Divinity College of Harvard, Emerson referred to Jesus as a man but not a God incarnate . He affirmed the human beings as infinite and pleaded to reinstate the human capability for an authentic spiritual life. He stated that all men should have the right to free expression and live by truth under the influence of nature. He mentioned in his essays that man should transcend from a “thinking man” to “man thinking” . Man is a true genius who should utilize his intellectual learning in creating new visions and beliefs that aid in changing the society.
According to Emerson, God is a universal spirit and nature is the medium through which the universal spirit, God interacts with the humans. He suggested that the individuals should study nature as a living spirit rather than an object. Contrary to the Unitarians and orthodox Calvinists who believed in the Christian faith, the transcendentalists believed in the use of human wisdom to experience truth, which is possible only through an aesthetic sense, emotion and intuition . In his lecture at Harvard titled “The American Scholar,” Emerson encouraged the audience to understand themselves through the experience of nature. He advised the students to become men of action rather mere bookworms. He expected America to produce a generation of human beings that lives a distinct holistic intellectual life. Due to his offensive speech, Harvard did not allow Emerson for thirty years.
Emerson denied the Christian truth and his opinion fired Calvinist views of Unitarianism. In his famous essay “Self Reliance,” Emerson emphasized on the divine potential of the human beings. He said that there is no law that is more sacred than that of nature. Right and wrong depend on the human actions for or against the constitution. Transcendentalism instructed individuals to recognize the moral law within them. Another transcendentalist Thoreau, who graduated from Harvard, maintained a clear balance between the good and the bad, and the real and the ideal . While Emerson held Jesus in lowest value, Thoreau opposed organized religion. The transcendentalists opposed joining voluntary organizations; instead they preferred the people to adopt the pursuit of truth. In his essay “Friendship,” Emerson advocated the best way to maintain friendship through the exchange of letters rather direct contact as it would lead to rash personal relations. He believed that the friends were good as long as they are independent.
Transcendentalism was a revolt against the community, which was confining and repressing. The transcendentalists never contemplated as to what would happen to communal spirit when every individual lives in an independent way in the large society. They ignored the harm that would happen to the society through rampant freedom. They neglected the established institutions as they constrained the individuals. They supported religion as a truth comprehended within the soul and emotion of the individuals rather than a rational process. Emerson taught people to be self-reliant as the community is sufficient to sustain life . He believed in the reorganization of economic relations so that people could live in harmony with each other. Emerson’s ideals reflect pantheism, according to which God dwells in everything. He considered natural world as a manifestation of God and natural as a universal spirit.
In one sense, Emerson’s views of transcendentalism were a revision of the concepts of God and in another way; they were a revolt against Enlightenment science. Transcendentalism stated that achieving freedom is possible through self-reliance as it makes one’s life simple. Truth is the ultimate goal, whose value lies above love, fame or money. One can attain freedom and knowledge by experiencing nature rather amassing wealth for the future. Individuals should enjoy nature as it is both a spiritual quest as well as religion for the transcendentalists . Individual is the ultimate world. The transcendentalist movement proposed certain revisions to the governing committee of the church, such as the removal of bread and wine from the ceremony. Nature is regeneration, which demands the individuals certain laws and works. Thus, transcendentalism was a movement that took its inspiration from European romanticism and New England’s Unitarianism. It transformed the ideas, beliefs and literature of the nineteenth century America and persuaded the American thought.

References

Hankins, Barry. The Second Great Awakening and the Transcendentalists. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2004.
Silver, Bruce S. and Nancy A. Stanlick. Philosophy in America: Interpretive Essays. Prentice Hall PTR, 2003.