Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism By: Grace Martin Jordyn Rakowski

What is Transcendentalism? The idea that everybody has knowledge about themselves and the world around them that is beyond the senses. • comes through intuition and imagination • people can trust themselves to be own authority on what is right Transcendentalists use these ideas as a way of understanding life's relationships

Transcendentalists • mostly New Englanders • around Boston • attempting to create an American body of literature • struggled to define spirituality and religion • that took into account the new understandings of the age • Why waste the gifts of intuition, insight, and inspiration? • read Hindu and Buddhist scriptures to examine own religion

Ralph Waldo Emerson Background • Born in 1803 on May 25th to Rev. William Emerson and Ruth Haskins Emerson • fourth of eight children • His father • was a minister from a line of ministers • was the founder of the Philosophical Society • a leading member of the Anthology Club • He was eight when his father died • left family poor • had to take turns going to school • aunt came to live with them

Schooling • went to school before 3 years old • was not a brilliant scholar • went to a Latin School • also would go to a private school and learn to write and cipher • skipping school = imprisonment with bread and water • studied at Harvard - graduated at 18 • earned the President's Freshman - free charge for school • taught at a girls school for a few years • didn't care for it • 1825- entered Harvard Divinity School

Emerson Continued • 1829- became Unitarian Minister • 1832- resigned from the church due to doubts • influenced by the writings of Poetry, Philosophy and Essays - some that were influenced by the "Transcendentalism" of Immanuel Kant • 1836-helped begin the Transcendental Club • published "Nature" • wrote for The Dial - 1842 - became its editor • 1850-the Fugitive Slave Act-

(Sarah) Margaret Fuller Background • Born May 23, 1810 in Cambridgeport, MA to Timothy Fuller and Margaret Crane Fuller • First of Four children • Her Father • an attorney • than is elected to the Massachusetts Senate • finally is elected to the U. S. Congress • left to serve at Washington and sent letters back and forth to her • later serves term Speaker of the House

Schooling • At age 4 her father educates her as if she were boy preparing to enter Harvard College • Age 10 attends Cambridge Port Private Grammar School • Age 14 attends Miss Susan Prescott’s Young Ladies’ Seminary and returns to Port • Stops attending The Port School and creates a “self-designed, self-taught curriculum” • Teaches at Temple School in Boston

Fuller Continued • 1834-writes a critique of an article on slavery and published in the Boston Daily Advertiser • Father dies when she is age 25 • Ralph Waldo Emerson invites Margaret to his home • Starts publishing in many papers • 1837- joins Transcendental club • 1842- became editor of The Dial • 1843- publishes "The Great Lawsuit: Man vs. Men and Woman vs. Women" • 1845- publishes Women in the Nineteenth Century and it urged women's rights movement

Bibliography http://www.transcendentalists.com/1emerson.html http://womenshistory.about.com/bltranscend.htm http://www.transcendentalists.com/transcendentalism.htm http://www.margaretfuller.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=58:margaret-fuller-timeline&catid=45:about-margaret&Itemid=41 http://www.biography.com/people/margaret-fuller-9303889 http://www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/margaretfuller.html

Transcendentalism