Unit 5 Honors American Lit Notes

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Dec 6, 2023

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5: The American Renaissance 5.01: The American Renaissance October 11, 2023 Authors never write in a vacuum. They are influenced, challenged, and inspired by their life experiences and the events of their day. For America, the period between 1830 and the Civil War was one of great advancement and turbulence. This unit will introduce you to some of the major literary figures from this period and the works they wrote in response to the unique opportunities and challenges of that era. Some of America´s greatest authors wrote during the years leading up to the Civil War. The emergence of these literary greats is best understood in relationship to their historical context. In this lesson, you will learn about the social, literary, and historical events between the 1830s and the Civil War. In this activity, you will review some of the events that occurred from the 1830s through the 1850s in the United States. Background It is not unusual for the tension of change to foster new ideas and new forms of creativity in individuals and society. This happened in America between the 1830s and the 1850s. The rapid transformations of the time led to a unique creativity in American culture. Take a few minutes to learn about the American Renaissance, a period during which many of the literary works most widely considered American masterpieces were

produced. Some of America's greatest authors wrote during the years leading up to the Civil War. The emergence of these literary greats is best understood in relationship to their historical context. You have probably never connected railroads and factories to certain types of poems and stories, but there is a connection. Just as technology and industry were transforming the American landscape, new ideas and forms were changing American literature. America was growing in population and in territory. Immigrants streamed in from other countries. Families traveled to California to find gold. People moved into cities in the hopes of finding jobs in factories. The time period from 1830 to just prior to the Civil War was a time of sweeping changes in the United States of America. The religious fervor of the Second Great Awakening, social reforms by suffragists and abolitionists, new systems of transportation, and the technological advancements of the Industrial Revolution reshaped the mindset of America. With all these changes, several important issues developed - some of them controversial. The nation faced new challenges. The Second Great Awakening, a religious revival, swept through much of America in the 1820s and 1830s. A major theme of this revival was the ability and duty of Americans to turn away from sin and do good deeds. According to earlier Puritan religious teaching, all people were sinners and could do nothing on their own to earn their way into heaven. The only way to get into heaven was through God's mercy, which could not be influenced. By contrast, the preachers of the Second Great Awakening stressed the importance of a person's inner faith and good works. This increased the belief in free will and the ability of the individual to create change. As individuals accepted their capacity to create change, many turned their attention to the problems they saw in American society. People wanted to fix these problems. Several movements addressed these reforms. The temperance movement espoused banning the sale and consumption of alcohol. Leaders of the temperance movement claimed that drinking ruined family lives, led to the abuse of spouses and children, and reduced the output of workers in factories. Eventually, many cities and states passed laws banning the production and consumption of alcohol. More than 300 people attended the first women's rights convention in America, held in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. One of the organizers, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, wrote a Declaration of Sentiments, modeled after the Declaration of Independence. Her declaration claimed that "all men and women had been created equal" and listed 18 "injuries and usurpations on the part of men toward women" the same number the Declaration of Independence charged against the King of England. In 1844, the United States tried to put the question to rest by categorically denying women the right to vote. That ruling wasn't overturned until almost 100 years later. The abolitionists opposed slavery in the United States, which continued to grow during the lead-up to the Civil War. In 1781, there were about 575,000 slaves in the United States; by 1830, there were more than 2 million. There were two important reforms in education at this time. The first increased the quality of public education. Previously, financially secure families sent their children to private schools, leaving poor children to attend underfunded public schools. In time, education came to be seen as a key part of a democracy, and public schools were improved. Another change was allowing women to pursue higher education. The year 1837 saw the opening of the first college for women and the first coeducational college. With

territorial expansion came the need for interstate transportation. Major roadways were being constructed, connecting major cities from all states. The longest direct route could take you 1,600 miles, from Maine to Louisiana. Since travel by water was often faster and easier than using animal power, rivers were navigated and canals were built. This allowed for efficient transportation of goods and supplies between ports. Faster still, rail travel was beginning to make a name for itself. By 1855, there were 10 significant lines crisscrossing the northern states. Technological and industrial advancement changed the fabric of American lives as well. Inventions like the telegraph made it possible to communicate instantaneously over long distances. More people moved to the large cities to work in large factories that made textiles or other products. They also became part of a new consumer culture driven by America's young capitalist society. These changes created a new lifestyle and removed many Americans from simple farming lives and a close connection with nature. Today people around the world read and admire American literature. But there was a time when there was no real "American" literature. It was during the American Renaissance that new literary forms and ideas were evolving in the United States, just as industry and science were making new advances. In this activity, you will explore the development of American literature and the philosophical ideas that influenced it. Open the Romanticism Mastery Map and use it as a reference as you complete your work in this unit. Earliest American Literature The term renaissance refers to a flowering or flourishing of art and literature. During the American Renaissance, many of the works that are now considered American masterpieces were produced. Before this period, American literature had often been functional in nature. It had served purposes related to survival and politics. The Puritans had drawn strength and courage from religious writings of their leaders. Later, during the Revolutionary period, national expression came in the form of political pamphlets such as Thomas Paine´s Common Sense and documents such as the Declaration of Independence. Explore the characteristics and relationships among the literary movements of this

period. A Need for "American" Literature By the 1830s and 1840s, America had established a political and geographical presence in the world. It was time for the nation to have a literary presence, as well. America's landscape was vast and its people were innovators. Its literature would mirror these qualities. It would be vast in theme and innovative in style. Some of the most famous literature of the American Renaissance takes the form of essays, poetry, short stories, and novels. Romanticism in America In America, Romanticism took two forms: bright and dark. The bright form—Transcendentalism—explored the elevated aspects of the human mind and spirit. According to this school of thought, humans could arrive at universal truths through their emotion, intuition, imagination, and connection to nature.

Transcendentalists believed that all aspects of the physical world are reflections of the divine. The dark form of American Romanticism explored the darker, wilder, more troubling aspects of the human psyche. For Romantic writers, the settings of stories were often symbolic of the good or evil in the world. Urban, industrial settings housed evil characters with malicious intentions. Natural settings, far from the dirt and noise of industry, offered peace and access to truth and beauty. Emerson's Early Life Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) was born in Boston, Massachusetts. His father, the seventh Unitarian minister in the Emerson family, died when Ralph was only eight years old. Emerson attended Harvard College, where he studied Greek, Latin, history, and rhetoric. After spending time as "a hopeless schoolmaster"—in his own words— Emerson quit teaching and took up the study of theology. In 1826, he became the eighth Emerson to serve as a Unitarian minister in New England. In 1829, Emerson married Ellen Tucker, a woman he loved dearly. When his wife died two years later, Emerson was deeply affected. Emerson's Emerging Philosophy Emerson became skeptical of some Christian rites and doctrines that no longer seemed to him to embody truth. He resigned his position as minister and left for a tour of Europe. During his time in Europe, Emerson met some of the great writers of the day, including the English Romantic poets William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Romantic thinking would influence Emerson for the rest of his life. Ralph Waldo Emerson is considered the father of Transcendentalism, one branch of American Romanticism.

5.02: Poetry of Ralph Waldo Emerson October 12, 2023 You may have had an experience in nature that inspired you to reflect deeply on life. Few writers and thinkers have been more inspired by nature than the Transcendentalists. In this lesson, you´ll learn more about the Transcendentalists and examine the way Emerson´s poetry reflects this branch of Romantic thinking. By the time Emerson wrote "Concord Hymn," six decades of American history had

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