Lesson 1/Activity 2: A Shift in Thinking

Ludwig Seitz’s “Faith and Reason United” reflects the shifting times of the 1840s

 around the world, including America.

Benchmark:                 

11.4.9

Demonstrate knowledge of eighteenth-, nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century foundational works of American literature, including American Indian and other diverse cultures’ texts and how two or more texts from the same period treat similar themes or topics.

Learning Target:         

I can explain how Americans moved from Romanticism to Transcendentalism in their thinking and being.

Essential Question:        

What happened that caused Americans to shift their thinking from one philosophy to another?

You will Need:        

One Day

Internet Access        

A copy of your Transcendentalism Summary Assignment

A Digital Diagramming tool

Activity:                

Please follow the five (5) steps in order.

STEP 1:         

Gather general information about Romanticism and its philosophies. Avoid Wikipedia, but rather look for more credible sources.

STEP 2:        

Compare it to what you know about Transcendentalism. Note the differences in thought, but also note what didn’t change in the shift.        

STEP 3:         

Consider any major events that happened in America at the time of the shift. There was an overlapping window of time between Romanticism and Transcendentalism. Major events could be wars, presidential elections, supreme court rulings, results of protesters or activists, etc.

STEP 4:        

Create a Venn Diagram noting the differences. Instead of listing the similarities in the middle window, list the events that occurred in America that you think caused the shift to happen.

Venn Diagram

STEP 5:        

Submit Your Venn Diagram Assignment