Ralph Waldo Emerson Self- Reliance (1841)Ralph Waldo Emerson Self- Reliance (1841) Additional BackgroundRalph Waldo Emerson, Self- Reliance (1841) Main PointsSlide 4Slide 5Slide 6Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self- Reliance (1841) Historical SignificanceRalph Waldo EmersonEmerson on Slavery in 1844Main PointsMain Points (cont.)Slide 12Slide 13Slide 14Slide 15Slide 16Slide 17Slide 18Slide 19Slide 20Slide 21Slide 22Slide 23Slide 24Slide 25Slide 26Slide 27Slide 28Slide 29Slide 30Frederick DouglassBackgroundThe celebration of the Fourth of July is hypocritical and contradictory.Slavery is unjust and against the Constitution. I should not have to argue this point.Freedmen have proven themselves just as capable as white men. They deserve liberty.The time for persuasive arguing that slavery is wrong has passed, now is the time for the harsh reality.Slide 37Slide 38Slide 39Slide 40Slide 41Slide 42Slide 43Alexander Hamilton Stephens Slavery and the ConfederacyAlexander Hamilton Stephens Slavery and the ConfederacySlide 46Slide 47Slide 48Slide 49FAST DAYS SERMONS 1861Fast Day SermonsRev. B.M. PalmerSlavery a Devine Trust: Duty of the South to Preserve and Perpetuate it.Slavery is essential for our nations self-preservation.The worst foes of the black race are those who have intermeddled on their behalf.It is a duty which we owe… to the civilized world.Slavery was given from God…Society is trying to take it away.Rabbi M.J. RaphallBible View of SlaveryWhat gives you the right to condemn slavery?Rev. Henry W. BeecherThe whole nation is guiltySlide 63Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865Other facts about ‘Ole AbeHistorical Context Battle of GettysburgThe Gettysburg Address Delivered at the dedication of the Soldiers’ National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania November 19, 1863Slide 68Frederick Jackson TurnerThe Significance of the Frontier in American HistorySlide 71Slide 72Slide 73Slide 74Slide 75Slide 76Slide 77Slide 78Slide 79Slide 80Slide 81Social DarwinismSlide 83Main Points Cont.The social structure is based on contractAnd that of the Forgotton ManThorstein Veblen’s BackgroundThorstein’s ViewsMain Point #1Main Point #2Main Point #3Main Point #4Main Point #5Main Point #6Main Point #7Slide 96Slide 97Slide 98Slide 99Slide 100Slide 101Slide 102Slide 103Slide 104Slide 105Slide 106Slide 107Slide 108Slide 109Slide 110Slide 111BackgroundBackground (cont.)Main pointsMain points (cont.)Main points (cont.)3rd main point cont.Slide 1184th main point cont.Historical SignificanceSlide 121Slide 122MAIN POINTSMain Points ContinuedSlide 125Slide 126Slide 127Slide 128Slide 129Slide 130Slide 131Slide 132Slide 133Slide 134Slide 135Slide 136Ralph Waldo EmersonSelf- Reliance (1841) Born in 1803, the son of a conservative Unitarian minister. Father died when he was eight, leaving family in meager circumstances. Influenced by an eccentric aunt, who encouraged his education and broadminded thinking. Attended Harvard at age 14, graduating at 18 and working as a schoolmaster before studying theology. Ordained as junior pastor of Boston’s Second Church (1829) where Cotton and Increase Mather preached more than a century before.Background Married Ellen Tucker who died of tuberculosis sixteen months later.  Resigned his pastorate in 1932, because of his skepticism with the theological doctrines such as the Lord’s Supper. Traveled to Europe meeting well-known writers, Coleridge, William Wordsworth, and Thomas Carlyle. Moved to Concord, Massachusetts, began lecturing and writing. Married Lydia Jackson; fathered four children. His first born, Waldo, died in 1842 at age 5.Ralph Waldo EmersonSelf- Reliance (1841) Additional Background Believed in individualism, non-conformity, and the need for harmony between man and nature. A proponent of abolition.His first book, Nature (1836), influenced by a range of idealistic philosophies, confirmed his future as a prose writer -- establishing him as the center of the Transcendental Movement.Self Reliance is his most famous collection of essays. These essays were gathered from his journals and lectures and covered a period of years. The earliest essay from 1832, the year he left the pulpit. Contributed to the Transcendentalists’ magazine, The Dial, serving as editor from 1842-1844. Known as a key figure in the “New England Renaissance” [helping American Literature find it’s place in world literature].Gained recognition for his poetry [collected in 1846].An inspiration for many writers, especially Henry Thoreau and Walt Whitman.Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self- Reliance (1841)Main PointsSelf reliance can be defined as the bringing into the light one’s inner views on what is true and meaningful, and in the process enriching an entire community through diversity. • “The power which resided in him is new in nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he tries.” • Emerson calls for greater self-reliance, “a new respect for the divinity in man,” bringing “revolutionary” change in all relations – religion and prayer, education and literature, pursuits, modes of living, property and views, and associations.• In Emerson’s time, America still looked to Europe for its art, architecture, literature, instead of developing it’s own. He believed that by adopting the talent of another, one could only claim only half possession. He was critical of Americans for not using their God-given individuality to become more than mere imitators. Map of ConcordRalph Waldo Emerson, Self- Reliance (1841)Main PointsTrue happiness and fulfillment can only come through a recognition of one’s own uniqueness, talent and effort.• Envy is ignorance; imitation is suicide. It’s only when a person puts his heart into his work and does his best that he is truly happy and at peace.• Do not be ashamed to speak your unique thoughts, “divine idea[s]” rather than quoting the words of some former “saint or sage”. Roses do not make reference to former roses, but “exist [perfectly] with God today.” • Actions should be genuine, honest and natural. Don’t be afraid of being inconsistent -- genuine action will explain itself over time, just as the zigzag path of a ship’s voyage seen over a distance straightens itself.Ralph Waldo Emerson, Self- Reliance (1841)Main PointsTruth comes from within and lies beyond or “transcends” the knowledge we obtain from