As a result, Americans began to lose their identity. In reaction, a new literary and artistic movement, known as the Romantic Era, became popular throughout the 19th century. The romantic genre was created to combat the negative effects of the revolution, by promoting individualism, emotions, and nature. Romantic authors split between two distinct categories: transcendentalist and american gothic. Henry David Thoreau and Edgar Allen Poe used literary devices and narrative techniques to express their opinions on human potential.
