4.9 The Development of an American Culture

Nationalism in Art and Literature

American writers and artists sought a distinct national identity separate from Europe. The Hudson River School painters (e.g., Thomas Cole) celebrated America's landscapes as evidence of divine favor and exceptionalism. Writers like Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, and Nathaniel Hawthorne created uniquely American literature, often exploring the frontier, self-reliance, and moral individualism.

Transcendentalism and Reform

Transcendentalists like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau emphasized individualism, self-reliance, and intuition over materialism and conformity. Their ideas fueled a broader Second Great Awakening-influenced reform culture, inspiring movements like abolitionism, temperance, and utopian communities (e.g., Brook Farm), reflecting a belief in human perfectibility.

Religion, Revivalism, and Popular Culture

The Second Great Awakening spread evangelical Protestantism, emphasizing personal conversion and social reform, and helped shape a shared American identity. Popular culture also expanded through new forms of entertainment, cheap print (newspapers, almanacs), and growing literacy, creating a distinctly American mass culture tied to democratic and religious values.

Key terms

Hudson River School

A group of painters who depicted American landscapes to express national pride and divine favor.

Transcendentalism

A philosophy emphasizing individualism, intuition, and self-reliance over materialism and conformity.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Transcendentalist writer known for essays like 'Self-Reliance' promoting individual thought.

Second Great Awakening

A religious revival movement emphasizing personal conversion that inspired social reform efforts like abolition and temperance.

Brook Farm

A utopian community reflecting the era's belief in human perfectibility and social reform.

Try an AP-style question

Transcendentalists like Emerson emphasized…

1. individualism and a spiritual bond with nature
2. strict obedience to church law and clergy
3. industrial progress over the natural world
4. a return to European artistic traditions