American Romanticism Patriotic and individualistic urban and untamed
American Romanticism
• Patriotic and individualistic, urban and untamed, wealthy and enslaved—Americans in the first half of the 19 th century embodied a host of contradictions. • Their movement, known as romanticism, explored the glories of the individual spirit, the beauty of nature, and the possibilities of the imagination. American Romanticism
The Spirit of Exploration What does “expansion” mean? Settlers moved westward, claiming more and more territory for the United States.
The Spirit of Exploration What does “expansion” mean? Settlers moved westward, claiming more and more territory for the United States.
The Spirit of Exploration Westward Expansion Ø The Louisiana Purchase: Ø The biggest land deal in history Ø Settled between France and US in 1803 Ø Thomas Jefferson negotiated the purchase for $15 million (4 cents an acre), which doubled the size of the United States
The Spirit of Exploration Westward Expansion
The Spirit of Exploration Westward Expansion Ø The Indian Removal Act of 1830: Ø Required Native Americans to relocate west – by force if necessary. Ø Each bit of land settled by white Americans was taken from Native American populations who had lived there for generations.
The Spirit of Exploration Westward Expansion Ø “Manifest Destiny”: Ø The idea that it was the destiny of the United States to expand to the Pacific Ocean and into Mexican territory. Ø It was the general belief that the US was a chosen land that had been allotted the entire North American continent by God. Ø Of course, not everyone agreed with this.
Manifest Destiny
Five major aspects of the Gold Rush, 1849: Ø Gold discovered in California Ø Tens of thousands of Americans traveled west, hoping to “strike it rich” Ø Left many prospectors with broken lives and dreams Ø Led to the founding of new towns and cities Ø Led to the building of the first transcontinental railroads
Growth of Industry Ø Americans were suddenly forced to produce many of the goods they had previously imported. Ø The Industrial Revolution began, changing the country from an agricultural economy to an industrial powerhouse. Ø People left their farms for the cities, working long hours for low wages in harsh conditions.
Growth of Industry Ø Textile mills’demand for cotton played a role in the expansion of slavery in the South.
Growth of Industry MAJOR POINTS! Ø Writers of this period reacted to the negative effects of industrialization—the commercialism, hectic pace, and lack of conscience— by turning to nature and to the self for simplicity, truth, and beauty. Ø They were outspoken supporters for human rights. Ø Their works created awareness of the injustice of slavery and called for reform.
Growth of Industry The Tragedy of Slavery Ø From 1793 to 1860, cotton production rose greatly, due to the invention of the cotton gin and other farming machinery. Ø Southern farmers felt that slavery had become necessary for increasing profits. Ø Tension over slavery increased between the North & South. Ø Many in the North saw slavery as immoral and worked to have it abolished.
Growth of Industry
Growth of Industry The Tragedy of Slavery Ø Romantic poets: Longfellow, Lowell, and Whittier wrote abolitionist journalism and poetry. Ø Perhaps the greatest social achievement of the romantics was to create awareness of slavery’s cruelty.
Record the main ideas relating to the tragedy of slavery & its cultural influences on society in an outline. This is what a textbook outline should look like. I. The Tragedy of Slavery A. Demand for cotton = increase in slavery B. Brutal treatment of enslaved workers C. North-South tension over the issue 1. View of South: slavery as economically necessary 2. View of North: slavery as immoral D. Involvement of writers II. Call for Social Reform A. Rise in opposition to social ills 1. End to slavery 2. Improved conditions for workers 3. Opportunities for women B. Involvement of writers
Growth of Industry Call for Social Reform Women’s Rights Ø Women in the early 19 th century found much to protest: Ø Couldn’t vote Ø Not well educated Ø Property & money were their husband’s Ø BUT they worked for change, gathering in 1848 at Seneca Falls, New York, to continue their long fight for women’s rights.
Nationalism vs. Sectionalism Ø Nationalism Ø the belief that national interests should be placed ahead of regional concerns. Ø Reflecting the national pride and optimism of the American people, writers of this age created literature entirely the nation’s own. Ø For the first time, writers were not imitating their European counterparts, but were listening to their own voices and writing with a distinctly American accent.
Nationalism vs. Sectionalism Ø Sectionalism - placing the interests of one’s own region ahead of the nation as a whole Ø The spirit of nationalism was challenged by the question of slavery. Up until 1818, the U. S. had ten free and ten slave states. Ø As new territories entered the Union, the North and South wrangled over the balance of power between free and slave states.
Nationalism vs. Sectionalism
Missouri Compromise Ø Missouri Compromise: It was an effort by the U. S. govt. to maintain a balance of power between the slaveholding states and free states. Ø The slaveholding states feared that if they became outnumbered in Congressional representation, they would lack the power to protect their interests in property and trade. Ø Missouri Applies For Statehood: Ø In 1819, the slaveholding territory of Missouri applied for admission to the Union. Ø Northern states opposed it, feeling that Southern slaveholding states held too much power already. Ø The Constitution allowed states to count each slave as three-fifths of a person for purposes of determining population, and therefore, the number of Congressional representatives the state was entitled to. Ø This had given the South an advantage in Congress.
Ø Southerners moving into the northern regions took their slaves with them. Northerners, most of whom favored "free states" in which slavery was prohibited, feared slavery would become accepted practice there. Ø From this came the notion that states be admitted in pairs, one slave and one free. This worked for 30 years! Ø Then, in 1850, California was admitted as a free state, upsetting the balance 16– 15, in exchange for a Congressional guarantee no restrictions on slavery would be placed on the territories of Utah or New Mexico and passage of the Fugitive Slave Act, which required citizens of all states to return any runaway slaves to their masters. Ø In 1857, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled Congress had no right to prohibit slavery in territories, as part of the decision in the Dred Scott case.
The Early Romantics What is Romanticism? What did it develop, in part, as a reaction against? Ø were inspired by the beauty of nature Ø emphasized emotions and the imagination over reason Ø celebrated the individual spirit • Romanticism is the name given to the schools of thought that values feeling and intuition over reason. • Romanticism developed in part as a reaction against rationalism which is dependent on logic and reasoning.
The Early Romantics Ø As America expanded westward, writers aimed to capture the energy and character of their growing country. Ø They celebrated the glories of the individual spirit, the emotions, and the imagination. Ø The splendors of nature inspired the romantics more than the fear of God, and some of them felt a fascination with the supernatural.
The Early Romantics
Discuss some of the ideas of the Romantics. Ø The Romantics believed that the imagination was able to discover truths that the rational mind could not reach. Ø These truths were usually accompanied by powerful emotion and associated with natural, unspoiled beauty. Ø To the Romantics, imagination, individual feelings, and wild nature were of greater value than reason, logic, and cultivation. Ø To the Romantics, poetry was the highest embodiment of the imagination. Romantic artists often contrasted poetry with science.
What are the Five I’s of Romanticism? Intuition Imagination Innocence Inspiration from nature Inner experience
Characteristics of American Romanticism • Values feelings and intuition over reason • Places faith in inner experience and the power of the imagination • Rejects the artificiality of civilization and seeks unspoiled nature • Prefers youthful innocence over educated sophistication
Characteristics of American Romanticism Ø Champions individual freedom and the worth of the individual Ø Reflects on nature’s beauty as a path to spiritual and moral development Ø Looks backward to the wisdom of the past and distrusts progress Ø Finds beauty and truth in exotic locations, the supernatural realm, and the inner world of the imagination Ø Sees poetry as the highest expression of the imagination Ø Finds inspiration in myth, legend, and folklore
Contrast the rationalist hero with the typical hero of the American Romantic period. The rationalist hero was worldly, educated, sophisticated, and bent on making a place for himself in civilization. The American Romantic hero was youthful, innocent, intuitive, and close to nature.
The Fireside Poets Ø Fireside Poets were called this because their poems were read aloud at the fireside as family entertainment. Ø They were also sometimes called Schoolroom Poets because their poems were memorized in every American classroom.
Who were four of the most famous fireside poets? Ø Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Ø John Greenleaf Whittier Ø Oliver Wendell Holmes Ø James Russell Lowell Ø They were committed to using poetry to bring about social reform: • Abolition of slavery • Women’s rights • Improvement of factory conditions • Temperance – staying away from alcohol • They championed the common man.
Growth of Industry
The Transcendentalists What does transcendental mean? Transcendental refers to the idea that in determining the ultimate reality of God, the universe, the self, and other important matters, one must transcend, or go beyond, everyday human experience in the physical world.
The Transcendentalists Ø Transcendentalism—a philosophical and literary movement… Ø Emphasizing living a simple life Ø Celebrating the truth found in nature and in personal emotion and imagination. Ø Exalting the dignity of the individual. Ø Stressing the American ideas of optimism, freedom, and self-reliance.
The Transcendentalists Ø Believing intuition can lead to knowledge Ø Believing that people are inherently good Ø Encouraging spiritual well-being over financial well-being
The Transcendentalists
A Transcendental View of the World Ø Everything in the world, including human beings, is a reflection of God. Ø The physical facts of the natural world are a doorway to the spiritual or ideal world. Ø People can use their intuition to behold God’s spirit revealed in nature or in their own souls. Ø Self-reliance and individualism must outweigh external authority and blind conformity to custom and tradition. Ø Spontaneous feelings and intuition are superior to deliberate intellectualism and rationality.
Who led the transcendental philosophy? Ralph Waldo Emerson “Self Reliance”
Another popular transcendentalist is Henry David Thoreau – Walden Ø Transcendentalists criticized material prosperity and the rigid obedience to the laws of society. Ø They disliked the commercial, financial side of American life and stressed instead spiritual well-being, achieved through intellectual activity and a close relationship to nature. Ø Thoreau put his beliefs into practice by building a small cabin on Walden Pond and living there for two years, writing and studying nature.
Henry David Thoreau from "Where I Lived, and What I Lived For" I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I want to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or it were sublime, to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.
Henry David Thoreau
How would Emerson’s and Thoreau’s thinking about nature contrast with Benjamin Franklin’s idea of nature? Ø Emerson and Thoreau could gaze on nature and feel the presence of God. Ø Franklin looked at nature and saw something to be examined scientifically.
Transcendentalism Ø The transcendentalists’ optimism began to fade when confronted with the persistence of slavery and the difficulty in abolishing it.
American Gothic: The “Brooding” Discuss the Dark Romantics’ philosophy. Ø Their philosophy was filled with the awareness of the human capacity for evil. Ø These writers were haunted by a darker vision of human existence. Ø Their stories are characterized by a probing of the inner life of their characters, and examination of the complex and often mysterious forces that motivate human behavior.
American Gothic: The “Brooding” Romantics Who were three most important Dark Romantics? Ø Nathaniel Hawthorne Ø Herman Melville Ø Edgar Allan Poe Ø They are romantic, however, in their emphasis on emotion, nature, the individual, and the unusual.
American Gothic: The “Brooding” Ø Did not believe in the innate goodness of people Ø Explored the human capacity for evil Ø Probed the inner life of characters Ø Explored characters' motivations Agreed with romantic emphasis on emotion, nature, and the individual Ø Included elements of fantasy and the supernatural in works
The Legacy of the Romantic Era Civil Rights Ø When faced with unjust government actions, Henry David Thoreau called for Americans to practice civil disobedience in protest. Ø This nonviolent form of protest was seen in the civil rights movement of the 1960 s and remains an important tactic for activists today. Ø In strikes, marches, and candlelight vigils, protestors across the United States use nonviolent means to make their voices heard.
The Legacy of the Era
Modern Gothic Ø The influence of Edgar Allan Poe is alive and well—make that undead and decaying—in the works of Ø modern horror authors such as Stephen King and Anne Rice, and in many of the graphic novels lining today’s bookstore shelves. Ø Though their settings may be modern, these works share Poe’s fascination with the dark side of humankind.
Modern Gothic
The Romantic Hero Ø Unique, bold, sometimes brooding or eccentric. Ø Captain Ahab - Moby Dick Ø Hawkeye - The Last of the Mohicans Ø Their stories are still told today, and they have inspired a modern array of equally vivid characters. ü Indiana Jones ü Harry Potter ü Jack Dawson - Titanic
- Slides: 54
