Ralph Waldo Emerson Paper

I am Ralph Waldo Emerson. I am an essayist, poet, preacher, and philosopher. As a chief spokesman for Transcendentalism, I have become known for challenging traditional thought.[1] I followed in my father’s footsteps and became a minister at 26, but I soon abandoned the ministry after my wife died.1 I traveled to England soon after where I met William Wordsworth, Thomas Carlyle, and Samuel Coleridge. These men inspired me with their philosophical knowledge and my Transcendentalist faith grew from there.[2] After my trip, I found myself devoted to writing lectures and poems.[3] My contributions to literature are still appreciated today with the thousands of publications of my books and lectures.[4] I wrote countless number of lectures, poems, and books conveying my views to the American people.1 My well-known book Nature is a prime example of my beliefs and Transcendentalism as a whole. It expresses the belief of the Over-Soul, a supreme mind that all humans share, and our reliance on intuition.[5] A. I feel as if I have been extremely successful in my reform. I spread the word of Transcendentalism through my many works and spoke out against slavery as well. I was influential during the case of the emancipation of the slaves after the Civil War began.[6] My addresses were demanded across the country and I delivered dozens every year. I am also well known as a Unitarian preacher.6 B. I faced criticism quite often during my reform. I was accused of abandoning Christianity many of times by New England’s Stand Order churches.6 Colleagues often attacked me for denouncing Biblical miracles, though I did that to preach self reliance more heavily. As an alumni from Harvard, I wasn’t asked to speak their again after this controversy.6

Works Cited
"Ralph Waldo Emerson." Ralph Waldo Emerson. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. .

"Ralph Waldo Emerson." - Poets.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. .

"Transcendentalism and

Cited: "Ralph Waldo Emerson." Ralph Waldo Emerson. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. "Ralph Waldo Emerson." - Poets.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. "Transcendentalism and Social Reform." The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. "Ralph Waldo Emerson – "Within Man Is the Soul of the Whole; the Wise Silence; the Universal Beauty"" Ralph Waldo Emerson – "Within Man Is the Soul of the Whole; the Wise Silence; the Universal Beauty" N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Nov. 2012. "Excerpts from Emerson 's Nature." Excerpts from Emerson 's Nature. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. Excerpts from Emerson 's Nature." Excerpts from Emerson 's Nature. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. [2] PBS. PBS, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. [4] "Ralph Waldo Emerson." Ralph Waldo Emerson. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. . [5] "Excerpts from Emerson 's Nature." Excerpts from Emerson 's Nature. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. . [6] "Ralph Waldo Emerson." Ralph Waldo Emerson. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2012. .