American Romanticism shines light on a new generation of writers, who called themselves Romantics and Transcendentalist. This radical form of literature emphasized imagination, individualism, feeling, and enthusiasm towards nature. Focusing on the expansion of the nation, new ideas taking root, and the differences that threatened national unity, it continued to reflect the optimism of American Society, and defined the way we view ourselves today.

The United States was rapidly expanding westward after the Louisiana Purchase in 1803; land was added between the Mississippi River and the Rocky Mountains, which was when the era of westward expansion began. With this, a growth of nationalism, or pride of one’s country, took hold of the nation as America prospered. Along with this, industrialism grew, creating overcrowded and polluted cities. During the Romantic period, a new form of literature that valued feelings over logic, the power of imagination,the individual spirit, and the beauty of the natural world. In retrospect, it was a large reaction to rationalism, providing expression for the discontent arising from the industrial revolution. To Romantic writers, the city was often a place of immortality, corruption, and death. *Courtesy of  Elements of Literature, Fifth Edition*

American reform began to take root as people worked to improve society. They fought for humane prisons, the abolition of slavery, better education, and improved factory conditions. The optimist of the time were known as Transcendentalist. Led by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Transcendentalism refers to the idea the in order to answer all of the questions we struggle with, one must “transcend,” or go beyond everyday human experiences. Emerson created an intense sense of optimism. He believed that God works through nature; the most tragic of natural disasters could be explained on a spiritual level. For example, Emerson’s writing Self Reliance, published in 1841, closely related human life to nature and  showed that we can find ourselves through nature and God. *Courtesy of  Elements of Literature, Fifth Edition* With all of the efforts of reform, the United States still faced a number of challenges: slavery, sectional differences,  economics, and troubling issues with the Natives as Americans began to arrive on their land. Activist in the 1840s wanted to put an end to slavery everywhere, but as slaveholders felt threatened, violence against the activist took hold. The end result of this conflict would be The Civil War. The treatment of Native Americans also challenged society’s ideals of peace and stability. Many U.S. officials hoped that the Natives would blend in with American society, but ended in many of them having to give up their way of life and adopt a new one. However, their efforts to appease their white neighbors had no effect of the prejudice they encountered. The literary texts of this time explored the conflicts between good and evil, the effects of guilt, and the dark underside of appearances. These writers became known as Dark Romantics. Unlike typical Romantics, they didn’t believe that the spiritual truths in nature were harmless. Writers such as Edgar Allan Poe became a model of Dark Romantics with his eerie poems, and language. In Poe’s poem, The Raven, he uses dark descriptions of nature to give the reader a dark sense of the surroundings Poe wanted to create.