Transcendentalism Unit Goals
In a chat room with one partner, show your mastery of the following goals:
1) To define transcendentalism and anti-transcendentalism
2) To list and explain events that shaped this period
Here are just a few events from those years:
1836—Transcendental Club founded
United States events
 1838—Chrokees are driven west along the Trail of Tears
 1840—Samuel Morse demonstrates the first telegraph by sending a message from
Washington, D.C. to Baltimore
 1846 – 1848—Mexican-American War fought; Mexico cedes territory in Southwest to
United States
 1848—first women’s rights convention held in Seneca Falls, New York
 1849—California gold rush begins
 1850—things begin to heat up with slavery
World events
 1845—potato famine begins in Ireland, leading to mass emigration to America
 1848—Revolutions sweep across Europe; Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels publish the
Communist Manifesto
 1855—coronation of Czar Alexander II, who later frees the Russian serfs
 1859—Charles Darwin publishes his theory of evolution
3) To discuss prominent ideas of writers and their literature
4) To connect basic tenets of transcendentalism to the 21st century—songs,
literature, ideas, cartoons—where do you see evidence of transcendentalism
today?
Format for the discussion:
1. To define transcendentalism and anti-transcendentalism
 Student A gives his/her definition of transcendentalism
o Uses a quote from one of the authors we read in this unit to support his/her definition
 Student B reacts to that definition and adds to it with own
o Uses a quote from one of the authors we read in this unit to support his/her definition
 Student A reacts and adds anything else
 Student B gives his/her definition of anti-transcendentalism
o Uses a quote from one of the authors we read in this unit to support his/her definition
 Student A reacts to that definition and adds to it with own
o Uses a quote from one of the authors we read in this unit to support his/her definition
 Student B reacts and adds anything else
2. To list and explain events that shaped this period
 Student A discusses one U.S. or world event that had an impact on Transcendentalist or
anti-transcendentalist literature and explains the effect it had on the literature.
o Uses a quote from one of the authors we read in this unit to support that claim
 Student B reacts to that and discusses another U.S. or world event that had an impact on
Transcendentalist or anti-transcendentalist literature and explains the effect it had on the
literature.
o Uses a quote from one of the authors we read in this unit to support that claim
 Student A reacts to that and discusses another U.S. or world event that had an impact on
Transcendentalist or anti-transcendentalist literature and explains the effect it had on the
literature.
o Uses a quote from one of the authors we read in this unit to support that claim
 Student B reacts to that and discusses another U.S. or world event that had an impact on
Transcendentalist or anti-transcendentalist literature and explains the effect it had on the
literature.
o Uses a quote from one of the authors we read in this unit to support that claim
3. To discuss prominent ideas of writers and their literature
 Taking turns, discuss key writers from this period and their literature.
o Minimum of ten exchanges
o DISCUSSION—react to what your partner said, contradict, question, add
o Minimum of four authors referenced
 Minimum of two direct quotes per student
4. To connect basic tenets of transcendentalism to the 21st century—songs,
literature, ideas, cartoons—where do you see evidence of transcendentalism
today?
 Taking turns, discuss transcendental ideas that are evident in our world today.
o Minimum of ten exchanges
o DISCUSSION—react to, contradict, question, add
o Minimum of three specific examples per student