The Abolitionist Movement: The Lyceum Movement

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Our journey begins in 1840, the American renaissance. The works of emerging writers and artists in the pre-civil war period made up what we know today as the American renaissance, the blooming of American art and literature that was unlike that of any other country. America was flourishing in its own developing culture, art, music, and literature, it reflected the basis of American beliefs and unique attitudes. In that, the Lyceum Movement emerged, the followers of this movement stood for the educational rights of all people. Sympathizers believed in education continuing through the entirety of one’s lifetime for any and all people. It insured that no matter who a person was, there would be no stopping anyone from getting an education. Another…show more content…
Nineteenth century abolitionists shared many of the philosophies of the transcendentalists, and based on the beliefs of individual rights, they fought to free the slaves in the south and end slavery in the in the united states entirely. This movement set the basis for some of the most memorable and revolutionary movements in American history, and also provided the spark to ignite the roaring fire that was the Civil war. Two influential social reformers that led to the Abolitionist movement were William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips. Garrison’s approach to demand change was very unique, he began in his attack by admitting that he is harsh, but then goes on to use that to his advantage. He accurately illustrated the harsh realities that the slaves endured and made a lasting impression by making the point that slaves are not property to be owned and sold, that they are people and they deserve to be treated like human beings. Wendell Phillips was inspired after hearing Garrison speak for the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society in 1835. From then on, his efforts included public speaking and writing a vast number of pamphlets and documents to support their cause. Their words and documents had been preserved to further influence history for generations. Because of their valiant efforts, the abolition…show more content…
Frederick Henry Hedge had been the founder of what we remember today as the Transcendental Club. The club would consist of the greatest transcendentalist leaders and philosophical revolutionaries of America. Members of the club included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Fredrick Douglass, and briefly, Nathaniel Hawthorne, author of the Scarlet Letter. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a transcendentalist writer whose works included “Nature” and “Self Reliance”. “Nature” is an accurate illustration of the views that the transcendentalists had on the natural world. By immersing himself in nature, he says that he is given a new sense of clarity, divinity, and enlightenment that cannot be gained anywhere but in nature. He was a strong believer that finding oneself and exploring one’s own soul is the ultimate pursuit of happiness, that the ultimate fulfillment in life would be self-discovery. Henry David Thoreau, Emerson’s short-time housemate, held very similar ideas, and found the works of his friend inspirational. Thoreau’s essay, “Civil Disobedience”, describes his idea of rebellion against laws he felt were unnecessary or unjust. He says that not following a law he doesn’t believe in is the most effective way to show the government and lawmakers what he stands for. “Civil
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