Known as a cultural revolutionary who sparked transcendentalism, Ralph Waldo Emerson would become one of the most revered men in the United States. He believed and eloquently wrote about the freedom, power, and potential of the self, as seen in his social commentary. The exploration of one’s self and nature had suddenly become more than a doctrine, movement, or philosophy.

Young Ralph grew up in a well-to-do and well-respected family in Boston. He won great respect for his intellect, even as he attended the Boston Latin School – one of the best schools on the east coast. In his early teens, he attended Harvard College and even won awards for his writing. As he worked hard, his intellect grew. Following, he studied at the Harvard Divinity School where he would become a Unitarian pastor.

With the death of the love of his life after only one-and-a-half years of marriage, he began to question his own beliefs. The fact that he had heard controversial information about miracles also caused his mind to sway. Emerson knew that he would have to search deeper for life’s truest meanings. Even holding onto his high position in Boston’s Second Church couldn’t prevent him from quitting his position and heading to Europe to explore man, his religions, and his need to be connected with nature.

Upon his return, his popularity grew as he began lecturing and eventually charging audiences for his lyceum lectures. He focused on what interested him most, human and societal culture. His essay writings turned into books and his ideas spread across college campuses in both the United States and Europe.

His controversial popularity was eventually accepted, even though he spoke out against America and Americans for their ways in regards to money-hording, slavery, and materialism. In his writings and lectures, however, he always kept an optimistic overtone. He supported the arts and praised music and philosophy that would help America find her identity in the world. In his publication entitled Nature in 1836, he delved into the incredibly difficult subjects of man, nature, and God. As he continued publishing his works and giving speeches, he raised a family of four children. The world remembers him, his teachings, and philosophies, especially through one of his followers who continued Emerson’s own explorations in regard to nature and man. His name was Henry David Thoreau.

• Rachel Carson
• Mohandas/Mahatma Gandhi
• Karl Marx
• Henry David Thoreau
• Charles Darwin
• Sigmund Freud
• Carl Jung
• Frederick Douglass