Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) was one of the most influential thinkers in nineteenth-century America. Like his father, he became a Unitarian minister in Boston, but he later left the church, whose doctrines he could not embrace fully. He traveled briefly in Europe, and after returning became a lecturer, an essayist, a poet, and a leader of the transcendentalist school of thought in America. His philosophy embraced individuality, optimism, and a belief in the presence of God in all things and persons. He is best remembered for his essay "Self-Reliance" and other early works that champion these ideals.
The Jackson administration. Andrew Jackson's presidency (1829-1837) dominated America in the decade before Emerson wrote "Self-Reliance." Through the essay Emerson tried to help individuals renew themselves and throw off the burden of "dead" institutions. In many ways, the nation under Andrew Jackson was also trying to free itself from its past and re-establish its identity in the 1830s.
The United States had entered a period of redefinition in which it tried to prove its autonomy and national character to the world. To achieve these goals, Jackson built on several key developments that had strengthened American sovereignty earlier in the century.
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