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Cultural Nationalism
Post-War Generation:
Young Americans in the early 19th century focused on the nation's expansion westward and prosperity, moving away from European politics post-Napoleonic wars and War of 1812.
Patriotic themes pervaded American society, evident in art, literature, and education.
Art: Painters like Gilbert Stuart, Charles Willson Peale, and John Trumbull honored Revolutionary heroes.
Literature: Parson Mason Weems' biography of George Washington extolled his virtues.
Education: Noah Webster's speller promoted patriotism before his dictionary was published.
Nationalism and patriotism dominated the century's cultural ideals.
A Changing Culture: Ideas, the Arts, and Literature
Romanticism:
Shifted from Enlightenment focus on reason to intuition, feelings, heroism, and nature.
Transcendentalism: A key American expression of romanticism, led by New England thinkers.
The Transcendentalists:
Key Figures: Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau.
Beliefs: Mystical and intuitive thinking, discovering inner self, and finding God's essence in nature. Criticized materialism and valued artistic expression over wealth.
Reforms: Supported individualism and antislavery movements.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882):
Advocated for a unique American culture, self-reliance, and independent thinking.
Criticized slavery and supported the Union during the Civil War.
Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862):
Lived simply in nature to explore essential truths, documented in "Walden" (1854).
Pioneer ecologist and conservationist.
Opposed the Mexican-American War, practiced civil disobedience by not paying taxes, inspiring later nonviolent movements by Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr.
Brook Farm (1841-1849):
Founded by George Ripley in Massachusetts to blend intellectual and manual labor.
Hosted leading intellectuals like Emerson, Margaret Fuller, Theodore Parker, and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Ended due to fire and debts but remembered for creativity and educational innovation.
Other Communal Experiments
Communal Societies:
Shakers: Early religious communal movement with 6,000 members by the 1840s. Practiced celibacy and communal living. Died out due to lack of new recruits.
Amana Colonies: German Pietists in Iowa, emphasizing communal living and simplicity. Allowed marriage and continue to prosper.
New Harmony: Secular utopian community in Indiana by Robert Owen, aimed to address industrial revolution issues. Failed due to financial and ideological conflicts.
Oneida Community: Founded by John Humphrey Noyes in New York (1848), focused on social and economic equality, shared property, and complex marriage. Prosperous through silverware production.
Arts and Literature
Painting:
Genre Painting: Artists in the 1830s began portraying everyday life scenes, a style known as genre painting.
George Caleb Bingham: Depicted common people in domestic and public settings.
William S. Mount: Known for lively rural compositions.
Thomas Cole and Frederick Church: Focused on the heroic beauty of American landscapes, particularly in the Hudson River area and the western frontier. This movement became known as the Hudson River School, emphasizing the Romantic fascination with nature.
Architecture:
Greek Revival: Inspired by the democracy of classical Athens, American architects adopted Greek styles to symbolize the democratic spirit of the republic.
Columned Facades: Reflecting the grandeur of Greek temples, these architectural features were used in public buildings, banks, hotels, and some private homes.
Literature:
Alongside transcendentalist authors like Emerson and Thoreau, other writers contributed to a uniquely American literature.
Nationalism in Literature: The War of 1812 supported a sense of nationalism, leading Americans to seek out literature with American themes.
Washington Irving: Known for "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," which utilized American settings.
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