Ralph Waldo Emerson's Connection To Transcendentalism

The activist, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, in her essay, “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, Seneca Falls Convention, 1848” emphasizes the importance of equality between women and men. Stanton’s purpose is to outline the inequality that existed between men and women and make points that will lead to inequalities ending. She adopts a straightforward and factual tone to get her point across without sounding biased or being disrespectful towards anyone who may disagree with her.

Elizabeth Stanton wrote, “The Declaration of Sentiments” in 1848 during the same time the Suffrage Movement came into effect. The Suffrage Movement took

An example of this push could be found in a petition to a Massachusetts legislature in 1753 as it is stated “...On every principle of natural justice, as well as by the nature of our institutions, she is as fully entitled as man to vote and to be eligible to office… she is entitled to a voice in fixing the amount of taxes and the use of them, when collected, and is entitled to a voice in the laws that regulate punishment” (Document F). This quote refers to the idea of no taxation without equal representation within the Declaration of Independence and the Seneca Falls Convention in New York in 1848, as it centered around the idea that women should be able to vote. Women were also able to take a stance in promoting and gaining equal rights even if it took a backseat to other issues and was the lingering in the background. An example of this would be when Dorothea Dix sought to create change within this nation through a series of national reports on those in prisons and insane asylums. Dorothea Dix advocated improving the conditions within jails, prisons, and insane asylums as well as pin responsibility, of the individuals within the institutions, on the federal government. Her reports showed the public that insanity was a disease of the mind rather than created by one’s own will. She also reported on how many of those with mental issues were

Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents in the City of New York in 1829, stated that crime was a reform during this period, brutal and harsh punishments were reduced. Dorothea Dix had a asylum Movement which began in the 1840’s that gave people with mental problems more confront by getting treated better. Furthermore, Dix helped all the mental ill move from prison to Asylum where they could get help since she created these facilities specifically for the mentally ill.(Doc A). Engraving by Patrick Reason, 1835 wrote “Am I not a women and a Sister” meaning that slavery was occurring and the people who were slaves wanted equality to live equal. Moreover Reason was drawing this to show how slavery was treated individuals.William Lloyd Garrison was an abolitionist who wrote “The Liberator” which called an immediate emancipation of slaves and equal rights.(Doc C). Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Seneca Falls Declaration in 1848 felt that her powerful idea of expanding democracy not only for men but to expand rights for women as well. During this period of time, their was a women’s movement in which women are 2nd class citizens and don’t have the right to vote, cannot own property. Women's right movement is led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Susan B. Anthony. Later they have a Declaration of Sentiments were all men and women are created equal. In helped Amelia Bloomer creates less restrictive female fashions for the women.(Doc

Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, central figures of Transcendentalism, expressed their beliefs through works such as “American Scholar” and “Into the Woods” in the nineteenth century. They believed that one must be in simplicity, solitude, and away from technology to appreciate the beauty of nature, which is essential for a better spiritual understanding of oneself. Transcendentalism, which focuses on spiritual interactions with nature, is relevant in today’s hectic life with temptations of materialistic goods and burdens of technology. The retreat that Webb offers every year is a good example of how Transcendentalism shapes students to have spiritual richness and mental strength. On retreats, students go off campus with bare necessities for three days to camp sites in nature to reflect and appreciate the beauty of the outdoors. Viewed through the lens of Transcendentalism, retreats allow students to prepare for a new and busy school year to come by helping them to realize their own goals, to get rid of distractions of technology, to get inspired by nature for a better understanding of themselves, and to enjoy a moment of solitude to truly reflect on the deeper meanings of life.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once wrote, “the sky is the daily bread of the eyes.” Emerson was a transcendentalist, transcendentalism came with a deep connection with nature from which this quote seems to be inspired. It can also be inferred that this quote has connections with the lord’s prayer, as Emerson was very religious. The lord’s prayer even states, “give us this day our daily bread” showing that God gave us necessities like food. By restating this in his essays, Emerson connects the sky with the daily food source by its beauty, and that we can feast upon what he believed the Lord had created for us in nature. Personally i am not all that religious and i don’t share the same transcendentalist beliefs with Emerson, but i wholeheartedly agree with his outlook on the sky as a feast of sorts.

Abigail Adams had even warned her husband that if women did not receive equal rights within the constitution, the founding fathers would have to fear rebellion. This seemed to hold true over a hundred years later when the women’s suffrage movement increased rapidly and showed the nation that women deserved the right to vote through protests and marches. Despite these strong similarities, there are also a few differences that separate their writings. For example, both women wrote in different styles. While Elizabeth Cady Stanton wrote in a logical appeal, Abigail Adams appealed to her husband with emotion. Unfortunately, Abigail Adams did not leave a large impression on the women’s rights movement. Although letters like hers were what eventually inspired a young E. C. Stanton. Although Adams did not succeed in bringing women’s rights, Stanton left a lasting impression that won’t be forgotten.

One of the many movements in the reform is the women's rights movement. Women could not vote, attend schools, or have certain jobs. They were expected to take care of the house, cook, and clean. Two women named Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Stanton impacted this movement in many ways. They had the idea to create a convention after they were told women could not take part in the proceedings . Their convention discussed many things such as, social, civil, and religious rights of women. This was the first gathering aimed toward women. Later Stanton wrote The Declaration of Sentiments. The Declaration of Sentiments talked about full equality for women. This document changed society and women were now allowed to do things they were not allowed to do before.

After the Civil War, the movement of women’s suffrage had a new inspiration, as they used African American suffrage as a stepping stone towards women’s suffrage. Organizations, such as the National Association Women’s Suffrage Association and Women’s Christian Temperance, had clear goals to reform the urban areas with women’s suffrage. As this empowering reform took place, women of the late 19th and early 20th centuries started to question their own roles within society. As women faced opposition and had diminished roles within society, the women of the late 19th century sought equality.

Women’s suffrage was at the root of the reform. Women sought to equalize voting rights and expand their roles in the workforce. Equal rights was at the basis and heart of democratic ideals and this was what women were working towards in their reform. Document I supports the idea of women vouching for equal rights in order to give them an equal say in the government. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the speaker in document I, is attempting to mend the government and better society by speaking out for her rights as a woman. This is an example of a reformation that was seeking to expand democratic ideals by expanding equality. The Women’s rights movement didn’t end here, in fact it continued to be a rising issue, women didn’t receive the right to vote until

By the time women began to fight for their right to vote, the majority of the people were against, on the other hand some men were, in some way, in pro, defending the woman suffrage. Women were the most interested people to get their rights, therefore, a lot of them wrote stuff to convince the people and the courts that they were able to choose people, that women also think and could have an opinion of some matter different than the breeding of sons that became free citizen and daughters that became slaves of the home.

During the late 19th century, women were in a society where man was dominant. Women not having natural born rights, such as the right to vote, to speak in public, access to equal education, and so forth, did not stop them to fight for their rights. Women's lives soon changed when Lucy Stone, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony played a prominent role to help bring about change.

During the late 19th century, women were in a society where man was dominant. Women did not have natural born rights, such as the right to vote, to speak in public, access to equal education, and so forth, did not stop them to fight for their rights. Women's lives soon changed when Lucy Stone, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony played a prominent role to help bring about change.

The women’s suffrage movement is thought to have begun with the publication of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman by Mary Wollstonecraft in 1792. Wollstonecraft is considered the “mother of feminism” and wrote of the sexual double standards between men and

From the late 1850’s onwards the women’s suffrage movement took on a new era, with a growing crowd of followers, and two main movements the Radicals and the philanthropists of the fifties and sixties. () Both which were attributed to statesmen and philosophers: John bright, Richard Cobden and John Stuart Mill. One of the most important radicals was John Stuart Mill, whose aim was to create a “complete equality in all legal, political, social, and domestic relations which ought to exist between men and women.” He founded the British Woman Suffrage Association, who was opposed by the British Prime ministers William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli, as well as by the monarch Queen Victoria. In 1867 philosopher John Stuart Mill petitioned the