Transcendentalism - a movement that gained traction in the 1830s to 1840s. Its core philosophy is built on the idea that humans are good, society is corrupt, nature is pure, and genuine understanding is conveyed through feelings and experiences. For that reason, transcendentalism falls under the romanticism umbrella. Many historical figures were attracted to the depth and rage of transcendentalism, for example Margarat Fuller and Walt Whitman. Transcendentalism reinforced traditional American values by serving as a powerful unifyer for Americans. In Whitman’s poem “I Hear America Singing” he references the everyday worker and celebrates them. Fuller utilized transcendentalism to criticize oppressive policies by pointing out the equality people …show more content…
During the Second Great Awakening, slavery was considered not moral and sinful, in light of this many women joined the abolition and temperance movements. In the surge for the betterment of society women started to fight for equal rights among the sexes, such as the right vote. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony played major roles in the women’s rights movement. Stanton helped organize the Seneca Falls convention and wrote the Declaration of Sentiments, describing unjust laws that limited educational opportunities and voting rights. The Seneca Falls Convention was the first woman's right’s convention in the US and went on to inspire many others. It also inspired the creation of AWSA (American Woman Suffrage Association) which focused on reforming state/local voting laws and the NWSA (National Woman Suffrage Association) which focused on reformation through the Constitution. The idea of women succeeding in politics and proving equal to men was extremely against traditional Christian and American values at the