Manifest Destiny Through the eyes of Margaret Fuller and Henry David Thoreau
Romanticism was a social reform movement that changed American society. The industrialization that occurred in the 1820s and 30s sparked this reformation of American individuality. During this period of evolution, certain individuals expanded both philosophically and geographically. With the world changing at such a fast pace, people were forced to adapt and embrace the unknown. This mentality was greatly adopted by Transcendentalists, who argued that society was corrupting one’s mentality, and that one should focus on nature and self-reliance. This group of individuals had the same spirit as the Beats and Beatniks; live one’s life to its fullest extent and pursue one’s dreams. Henry David Thoreau captures this set of ideals in his quote “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” This could have been a source of inspiration for “Manifest Destiny”. …show more content…
And that is what happened. Migrators in the western parts of the U.S. tended to be more open-minded as they had to make due with a forming society. In many families, role-reversal started to occur, where the man and women both worked to get the task done, regardless of whether the task was “feminine” or “masculine”. This situation led to a redefinition of what a “women” or “man” really was. Margaret Fuller describes this phenomenon by stating, “Male and female represent the two sides of the great radical dualism. But in fact they are perpetually passing into one another. Fluid hardens to solid, solid rushes to fluid. There is no wholly masculine man, no purely feminine
Romanticism was a social reform movement that changed American society. The industrialization that occurred in the 1820s and 30s sparked this reformation of American individuality. During this period of evolution, certain individuals expanded both philosophically and geographically. With the world changing at such a fast pace, people were forced to adapt and embrace the unknown. This mentality was greatly adopted by Transcendentalists, who argued that society was corrupting one’s mentality, and that one should focus on nature and self-reliance. This group of individuals had the same spirit as the Beats and Beatniks; live one’s life to its fullest extent and pursue one’s dreams. Henry David Thoreau captures this set of ideals in his quote “If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” This could have been a source of inspiration for “Manifest Destiny”. …show more content…
And that is what happened. Migrators in the western parts of the U.S. tended to be more open-minded as they had to make due with a forming society. In many families, role-reversal started to occur, where the man and women both worked to get the task done, regardless of whether the task was “feminine” or “masculine”. This situation led to a redefinition of what a “women” or “man” really was. Margaret Fuller describes this phenomenon by stating, “Male and female represent the two sides of the great radical dualism. But in fact they are perpetually passing into one another. Fluid hardens to solid, solid rushes to fluid. There is no wholly masculine man, no purely feminine