Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Born:
- May 25, 1803, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Died:
- April 27, 1882, Concord, Massachusetts, USA
- Nationality:
- American
- Profession(s):
- Essayist, Lecturer, Philosopher, Poet
Early Life and Education
- Born into a family of ministers, Emerson's father was a Unitarian minister.
- Attended Boston Latin School.
- Graduated from Harvard College in 1821.
- Taught at his brother William's school for young ladies.
- Entered Harvard Divinity School in 1825.
Career and Major Achievements
- Ordained as a Unitarian minister at the Second Church of Boston in 1829.
- Resigned his ministry in 1832 due to theological disagreements.
- Traveled to Europe, meeting prominent intellectuals such as Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, and Thomas Carlyle.
- Began a career as a public lecturer, delivering influential addresses across the United States.
- Became a leading figure in the Transcendentalist movement.
- His essays, often based on his lectures, explored themes of individualism, self-reliance, and the inherent goodness of humanity.
Notable Works
- Nature (1836)
- "The American Scholar" (1837)
- "Divinity School Address" (1838)
- Essays: First Series (1841)
- Essays: Second Series (1844)
- "Self-Reliance" (1841)
- "Circles" (1841)
- Representative Men (1850)
- English Traits (1856)
- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Conduct of Life (1860), explored themes of fate, power, wealth, culture, behavior, worship, and considerations by the way.
- Society and Solitude (1870)
- Letters and Social Aims (1875)
Legacy and Impact
Ralph Waldo Emerson's ideas profoundly influenced American thought and literature. His emphasis on individualism, self-reliance, and the importance of personal experience resonated with generations of readers and writers. He is considered a major figure in American intellectual history and a key contributor to the development of American Transcendentalism.