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Transcendentalist Views On Secular Government

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Secular governing, also known as the separation of church and state, has not been around for a long period of time. Since before the United States was founded, there have been many radical changes in the general consensus on whether or not a government should encourage or even force a religion on its people. With Puritanism, Deism, and Transcendentalism, it is easy to see a change in attitudes as the years went by. The canonical literature created by some of the celebrated writers in the United States shows a progression over time in regards to different beliefs and their views on secular governments.
In the Puritan way of life, religion is essential; therefore, there was no separation of church and state in their government and it was important …show more content…

They leaned towards anarchy -- most did not want a government; but, if they had to have one, the church and state would be separated. A famous Transcendentalist author named Henry David Thoreau explained in his essay Civil Disobedience that “that government is best which governs not at all,” in response to Jefferson’s statement that “that government is best which governs least” (269). Thoreau’s reply to said statement reflects the views that many Transcendentalists had at the time. They believed that the government should interfere less with the individual; however, they thought that the public was not prepared enough for any form of anarchy. Regardless, it was important to Transcendentalists that the government did not force any particular religion on its people, much like the Puritans did before them. This belief is where Deists and Transcendentalists agreed. However, they disagreed with the Deists on when the government should be governing. Thoreau also wrote that the “[g]overnment is at best” practical, but also believed that “all governments are sometimes” impractical (269). Transcendentalists believed that the government is only practical if it is entirely beneficial for those who are being governed, and it cannot be this by forcing the public into a certain belief. That is yet another reason why many of these Transcendentalists were so supportive of secular governments. Being the most recent ideology, it was also the most progressive in the sense that they encouraged rebellion and freedom of

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