American Culture The Age of Romanticism American Culture

American Culture The Age of Romanticism

American Culture l by 1820 an American culture (separate from British) had developed

Romanticism l 1) 2) 3) 4) Artistic & literary style of the first half of the 1800 s was Romanticism Loved nature Based on emotion Loved the supernatural Very optimistic

An American Culture l Parson Weems created an American mythology with his Life of Washington & Life of Franklin l Noah Webster wrote the American Standard Dictionary

American Fiction l Washington Irving was the first author of American fiction in the Knickerbocker Tales (Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Rip Van Winkle) l James Fennimore Cooper wrote adventure tales set on the frontier (Last of the Mohicans)

American Poets Edgar Allen Poe wrote poetry, mystery, and horror stories- most famous American Romantic l Walt Whitman- the “poet of democracy”wrote Leaves of Grass l

Transcendentalists l l l l Movement in Romanticism Individuality Self-Reliance Return to nature Exceed the Ordinary New England “Hitch your wagon to a star”

Ralph Waldo Emerson l Leader of the transcendentalist movement l “Self-Reliance” and “Nature”

Henry David Thoreau Protégé of Emerson l Author of “Walden” l and “Civil Disobedience” Stated that moral men had a duty to disobey immoral laws l Influence on MLK l

Art Most important art of the period was the Hudson River School l Purpose was to glorify the American landscape l Scenes from the Hudson River Valley l

George Catlin l Drawings of American Indians l Only surviving record of several tribes

James J. Audubon l Naturalist wrote and illustrated “Birds of America” who

Architecture l Architectural style of the period was Neoclassical