Summary
Highlights
The question of what it means to be an American has been a recurring theme throughout US history. Initially, American identity was largely borrowed from European cultures, particularly British. However, following the War of 1812, a significant shift occurred, leading to the development of a uniquely American identity during the Era of Good Feelings (1815-1825), a period characterized by intense nationalism.
Romanticism, a European artistic movement emphasizing emotional exuberance and imaginative exploration, heavily influenced American art. Unlike the rational and symmetrical focus of neoclassicism, romanticism aimed to evoke strong emotional responses. The Hudson River School of Artists notably shifted from painting portraits to depicting majestic American landscapes, fostering an emotional connection to nature as a core aspect of American identity.
This period saw the emergence of distinctly American writers. James Fenimore Cooper's 'Last of the Mohicans' romanticized the frontier, highlighting its values as crucial to American identity. Washington Irving's works like 'Rip Van Winkle' and 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow' introduced American landscapes and characters into a world of fantasy. Despite efforts to forge a national identity, regional variations persisted, as exemplified by Edgar Allan Poe, whose darker romantic themes resonated more in Europe than in the optimistic American context.
American architecture also started to develop its own style. Moving away from borrowed European designs and neoclassicism, the Greek Revival style became prominent in the 1820s. Inspired by the Greek Revolution, this architectural style paid homage to the shared love of democracy between the two nations, becoming a significant element in the evolving American identity.
A unique American philosophy, transcendentalism, emerged, deeply influenced by romanticism's emphasis on emotion over rationalism. Transcendentalists believed that truth transcended the senses and could be accessed through communion with nature. Key figures included Ralph Waldo Emerson, who championed self-reliance and individual freedom, Henry David Thoreau, who advocated for self-perfection through solitude and nature in 'Walden,' and Margaret Fuller, who used transcendentalist ideals to critique rigid gender roles and advance women's rights.