Key Figures
The author of "Walden" lived in a cabin near Walden POnd for two years.
Who is Henry David Thoreau?
Transcendentalists believed this natural element was a source of spiritual connection.
What is nature?
This core Transcendentalist value emphasizes trusting one's own thoughts and instincts.
What is self-reliance?
This essay by Emerson introduces many key Transcendentalist ideas and uses the symbol of a transparent eyeball.
What is "Nature"?
Transcendentalism emerged in this New England state in the 1830s.
What is Massachusetts?
He wrote the essay "Self-Reliance" and is considered father of Transcendentalism.
Who is Ralph Waldo Emerson?
This concept, central to Transcendentalism, suggests a spiritual reality beyond the physical world.
What is idealism?
Transcendentalists believed this faculty was more important than logic or reason.
What is intuition?
Thoreau's most famous work, it details his experience living in the woods for two years.
What is "Walden"?
This earlier European movement greatly influenced Transcendentalism with its emphasis on emotion and nature.
What is Romanticism?
This female Transcendentalist wrote "Woman in the Nineteenth Century" and was the first female foreign correspondent for the New York Tribune.
Who is Margaret Fuller?
Transcendentalists believed in this type of soul that connected all living things.
What is the universal soul (or Over-Soul)?
This term describes the Transcendentalist belief in the inherent goodness of people and nature.
What is innate goodness (or inherent divinity)?
This Emerson essay emphasizes the importance of trusting one's own thoughts and instincts.
What is "Self-Reliance"?
Transcendentalists opposed this economic system, which they saw as exploitative and materialistic.
What is capitalism (or industrialism)?
Known for her novel "Little Women," this author grew up in a Transcendentalist community.
Who is Louisa May Alcott?
This practice, encouraged by Transcendentalists, involves spending time alone in nature for spiritual growth.
What is solitude (or communion with nature)?
This philosophical concept, embraced by Transcendentalists, suggests that the mind shapes reality.
What is idealism?
This work by Thoreau, inspired by his night in jail, advocates for civil disobedience.
What is "Resistance to Civil Government" (or "Civil Disobedience")?
This social reform movement, supported by many Transcendentalists, sought to end slavery.
What is abolitionism?
This poet, not traditionally considered a Transcendentalist, shared many of their ideals and wrote "Leaves of Grass."
Who is Walt Whitman?
This Eastern philosophy, which influenced Transcendentalism, emphasizes the unity of all things.
What is Hinduism (or Vedantic philosophy)?
This Transcendentalist principle advocates for reform of societal institutions rather than revolution.
What is non-violent resistance (or civil disobedience)?
This Margaret Fuller work is considered one of the earliest major feminist works in the United States.
What is "Woman in the Nineteenth Century"?
This philosophical movement, which emphasized reason and empiricism, was a reaction against which Transcendentalism partly developed.
What is the Enlightenment?