Democracy and Freedom in American Romanticism
Democracy became a huge political value in American culture and identity following the American Revolution. And it's a huge deal in American Romantic writing.
The American Romantics valorized the ideals of democracy and freedom—the ideals on which the American nation was built, after all. These guys and gals were all about equality, justice, and freedom for all. These ideals influenced their outlook and were also central themes in their writing.
Chew On This
Walt Whitman's "Song of Myself" reflects a democratic vision in which everyone has an equal role to play in society. Dive into these lines from the poem here.
In the poem "A Nation's Strength," Ralph Waldo Emerson argues that what makes a nation strong isn't just wealth. What really matters is the wealth of its ideals and principles. Delve into this excerpt from the poem here.