Levatino, Garcia 1

Grace Levatino and Brianna Garcia

Mrs. Cooper

Ap Lang 1

October 28. 2018

Light Side Dark Side

The Antebellum era is defined by the transition in American ideals and a growing

cultural reach following the creation of the Constitution. This important time period shaped the

complex differences present in our ever growing society in the 19th century. Opinions of man

developed simultaneously as the Enlightenment emphasized the values of an individual and their

ability to question the political structure they lived under. Ultimately, this led to the Romantic

period spreading throughout the country. As these positive thoughts of man grew stronger, so did

the growing number of philosophers devoted to preaching these transcendentalist values. The

common transcendentalism belief of the goodness of man is supported during this time through

literary pieces written by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, as well as historical

events such as the Indian Removal Act of 1830.

The important works created by Ralph Waldo Emerson promoted individualism and

influenced those who read his pieces, bringing up new philosophical ideas. In Emerson’s

Divinity School Address ​that took place in Cambridge he repeatedly speaks of the pure and

gracious heart that man is born with. Emerson shows his high regard of people when he says man

“learns that his being is without bound; that, to the good, to the perfect, he is born, low as he now

lies in evil and weakness.” This idea shows the belief that a person comes into the world free of
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all sin and instead with potential to reach great heights and be all encompassing. Stating that man

is “perfect” shows the reader that Emerson puts humanity on a high standard and possesses no

flaws. It is not man who has the capacity to be evil, it is the result of outside terror. Later on in

Emerson’s speech he goes on to state that a man that has “fallen into superstition, into sensuality,

is never quite without the visions of the moral sentiment.” This quote reflects a direct relation to

the inherent goodness that Emerson finds present in all men because even when man is found to

be drifting off of the noble path they were created to follow, it is in human nature to go back to

their moral character.

In Henry David Thoreau’s famous transcendentalist piece known as ​Civil Disobedience​,

Thoreau speaks to Americans, stating that if a law is unjust and goes against their natural born

rights then they should be able to speak out against it. Thoreau’s writing mentions that “​A man

has not everything to do, but something; and because he cannot do everything, it is not necessary

that he should do something wrong.” This implies that man does not have an inclination to be

evil, but instead evil is an obstacle that man must work around due to his limitations. No person

is meant to do wrong, it is just a challenge that distracts them from their natural morals. Thoreau

states again “It is not so important that many should be as good as you, as that there be some

absolute goodness somewhere.” This line addresses his belief that although all men contain

differing amounts of good, there will always be some amount of it to draw from within

themselves.

During the romantic period man had many ways they would justify their actions that were

deemed necessary in the eyes of the white man. During the Indian Removal Act of 1830 Andrew

Jackson called for the removal of all American Indians east of the Mississippi river, to move to
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unsettled land to the west. This act resulted in many native tribes losing their traditional

homelands, hunting grounds, and other important traditional aspects of their culture. In the

perspective of the white man, the removal of Indians in the area can be considered as the

generosity of man by opening up new land and opportunities for them. In Andrew Jackson’s

Message to Congress in 1830, Jackson uses a rhetorical question to the audience when asking

“Can it be cruel in this Government when, by events which it can not control, the Indian is made

discontented in his ancient home to purchase his lands, to give him a new extensive territory, to

pay the expense of his removal, and support him a year in his new abode.” Jackson’s question

argues that the interference in the native lifestyle cannot be considered “cruel” because they are

ultimately helping their overall well being, and offering them a whole new land with no cost to

them. Again Jackson shows the mindset behind his thinking when stating “to save him from this

alternative, or perhaps utter annihilation, the General Government kindly offers him a new home,

and proposes to pay the whole expense of his removal and settlement.” This second mention of

the idea that the government is doing the Indians a favor by paying for their movement to the

new territory and speaks of the generosity they have for offering this to natives. This act shows

the overall belief of the time period that this decision was made from the good in man’s heart.

In our artifact piece, “The Nature of Human”, we develop the focus on the goodness of

man, a transcendentalism motif. We incorporated allusions to history such as the Indian Removal

Act of 1830 and allusions to literature pieces such as ​Civil Disobedience​ written by Emerson and

the ​Divinity of School Address​ by Thoreau. Through the mention of both our literary and

historical elements in the song we are able to tie the events back to the overarching idea that

“man is good.” In the lyric, “Our children come out shining without sin in their bodies,” we were
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able to express our motif by stating that all people are born free of any evil and with the potential

to excel. The upbeat tune of the song also sets an optimistic tone for the viewer. Likewise, the

humor of the video makes the piece lighthearted and similar to the transcendentalism era.

The monumental historical events and literary works that took place during the

Antebellum era led America to the transcendentalist beliefs that encompassed the lives of many

and shaped the society we see today. The optimistic mindsets of philosophers and important

leaders shows a belief in human nature and the overall good behind man’s every action. These

beliefs ultimately rationalized how America acts towards natives, the government and foreign

opposition.
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Works Cited

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Divinity School Address.” ​American Transcendentalism Web​,

American Transcendentalism Web,

http://transcendentalism-legacy.tamu.edu/authors/emerson/essays/dsa.html. Accessed 25

October 2018.

“Indian Removal Act- 1830.” ​Northern Plains Reservation Aid,​ Northern Plains Reservation

Aid,

http://www.nativepartnership.org/site/PageServer?pagename=airc_hist_indianremovalact

. Accessed 25 October 2018.

Jackson, Andrew. “Transcript of President Andrew9 Jackson's Message to Congress 'On Indian

Removal' (1830). “ ​OurDocuments,​ Our Documents,

https://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?flash=false&doc=25&page=transcript. Accessed

25 October 2018.

Thoreau, Henry David. “Civil Disobedience.” ​Virginia.edu,​ Virginia.edu,

http://xroads.virginia.edu/~hyper2/thoreau/civil.html. Accessed 26 October 2018.