Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism was a reaction against the newly dispassionate and logical world presented by developing industry and reflected by the Enlightenment movement. However, it was the American side of this movement, and as such it was also the beginning of the American cultural group's rebellion against traditional European standards: they were attempting to break away from the mandates of European culture and form a uniquely American body of work.  

However, like the Romantics, the Transcendentalists sought an explanation for existence, its trials and its truths, inside themselves. Again like the Romantics, they tended to believe in the idea that all people were connected to God and each other. While the former made this connection by tracing a cultural, folkloric history, the latter felt that there existed a "universal soul", which one could discover by meditating on the meanings of one's own thoughts and feelings.  

During this time, people experimented with different religions, attempting to experience transcendence through the collective experiences of Evangelical Christianity as well as through Eastern religion such as Buddhism and Hinduism that emphasized meditation.  

Members of the movement frequently embraced liberal ideals, especially those of equal rights across races and genders.

Well-known Transcendentalists include Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Louisa May Alcott.  

Sources:

Lewis, Jone Johnson. “What is Transcendentalism?” Women's History. About.com . 7 March 2006 . < http://womenshistory.about.com/bltranscend.htm > 

“Ideas and Thought of American Transcendentalism: What is American Transcendentalism?” American Transcendentalism Web. 7 March 2006 . < http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/transcendentalism/ideas/introduction.html >. 

“Transcendentalism.” Wikipedia. 7 March 2006 . < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendentalism >.