When people think about the Transcendentalist movement in the United States, two names that usually come up are Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau. Both men wrote about the concept of Transcendentalism extensively and shared many of the same views. This paper offers a quick look at some of the basic ideas of these two American writers.
Transcendentalists believe that individuals have the innate ability to determine what is right or wrong without depending upon the ideas of others and that they can understand the world around them beyond what they can see, touch, hear, smell, and feel (Transcendentalism). This philosophy guided Emerson and Thoreau’s beliefs of individualism and non-conformity, as they both believed that individual ideas were what the country needed, versus conformity to the demands of the government. They both advocated for men to trust in themselves rather than rely upon the judgements and opinions of others.
Emerson made his thoughts clear in his essay entitle Self Reliance from 1841. In this essay, he praises the works of Moses, Plato, and Milton, by stating that these men spoke their own thoughts rather than rely on books or traditions that came before them . When discussing conformity, and following the laws of the government, he claims “No law can be sacred to me but that of my nature” (Self-Reliance). Thoreau expands on this idea in Civil Disobedience by declaring that it is the individuals of the nation that made the country what it was, not the government when he stated, “It does not keep the country free. It does not settle the West. It does not educate” (Civil Disobedience). In regards to conforming, Thoreau stated that men should be men first and subjects after (Civil Disobedience). In other words, he believed that individuals should be free to do as they pleased and as their own conscience guided them, without overdue interference from the government.
It is clear from comparing these two great works by Emerson and Thoreau that they both agreed with the concept of men being individuals and the big government was not good for the people. They encouraged individuals to think their own thoughts and follow their own consciences rather than blindly follow the rules of the majority.
Works Cited
Self-Reliance. emersoncentral. 3 September 2009. Web. 12 April 2016.
Civil Disobedience. Thoreau Reader. 2016. Web. 12 April 2016.
Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy. ushistory. 2016. Web. 12 April 2016.
