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Ralph Waldo Emerson's Transcendentalist Movement

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People are easily influenced and persuaded by higher authorities. Ralph Waldo Emerson was a key figure in the Transcendentalist movement. This movement promoted ideas of intuition, independence, and inherent goodness in humans and nature. His most famous essay during this time was “Self-Reliance.” Throughout the text he expresses how to avoid conformity set by our society and to follow our own individual path. Henry David Thoreau like Emerson, believed that the government abuses its control especially when it comes down to just and unjust laws. Others, following in their footsteps and who were vocal for a change have impacted our society greatly such as Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., and Mohandas K. Gandhi.
Nelson Mandela was the former President of South Africa and is known for taking part in the anti-apartheid revolution. The government didn’t take lightly what he stood for and he was imprisoned for conspiracy of trying to overthrow the government. Similar to …show more content…

Mohandas K. Gandhi is a world renowned spiritual and religious leader from India during its Independence movement. His study of philosophy of Satyagraha inspired his civil rights movement and freedom for all around the world (Non-violent Resistance Summary and Study Guide Description). Like Thoreau and Mandela, he focused on finding a way to combat injustice. He states in On Nonviolent Resistance, “No clapping is possible without two hands to do it.” insinuating that you cannot have a government if people refuse to live by it. Both Emerson and Gandhi were opposed to the arbitrary laws being enforced when it comes down to what is just and what is unjust. His method of Satyagraha he practiced promoted the idea of not using violence under any circumstance; and be willing to die for love and truth (Non-violent Resistance Summary and Study Guide

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