Transcendentalism

Definition   Transcendentalism is a 19th century movement of writers and philosophers in New England. They were loosely bound by the adherence to an idealistic system based on the belief in the unity of all creation, goodness of humanity, and the supremacy of insight over logic.  

In other words, Transcendentalism is a philosophy started in the early 19th century that promotes intuitive, spiritual thinking instead of scientific thinking based on material things. 

Transcendentalism

This movement is mainly represented by Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American essayist and philosopher, who led the movement due to the belief of the importance and efficiency of human striving, and put a large emphasis on "unity". He was heavily influence by Plato, Isaac Newton and Immanuel Kant, and he is one of the several figures who took a more pantheist approach by rejecting views of God as separate from the world. 

Transcendentalism in American Literature

1. Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. Nature by Ralph Waldo Emerson

3. Man versus Men. Woman versus Women by Margaret Fuller

4. Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau