Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism represents a love of nature, individuality, free thought, and non-conformity.  

Our days as citizens in a nation without the unwavering limits of established religion began in the era of the transcendentalists: Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, and more.  These writers were unconventional, often criticized by the establishment for their views of life in the mid 1800s.  These writers wanted to create a uniquely American style of writing, paying particular attention to nature and the world around them, which also gave way to Teddy Roosevelt's conservation movement of the early 1900s.

The birth of individuality and a truly American experience were hatched in this literary movement.  Without the transcendentalists, the freedom to be ourselves would not exist. Since the Transcendental era, Americans have been known around the world to be "Rugged Individualists."