"We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; we will speak our own minds...A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men" As Ralph Waldo Emerson concluded his lecture at Harvard in 1837, he issued this challenge to all men, arguing for a new American culture, freed from European bondage and for the rebirth …showed first 75 words of 1201 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1201 total…writings of Emerson and Thoreau on self-reliance, non-conformity, and the Over-Soul led to breakthroughs in civil rights and humanity. For example, the writings of Thoreau led to improved rights for black citizens and women. Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” gave citizens a new sense of self-worth, showing how far one can go on his/her own. After reading the works of the varied transcendentalists, the American people knew they had a style they could call their own.