Ralph Waldo Emerson

At-a-Glance

Led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century.
Authored influential essays including "Nature" (1836), "Self-Reliance," and "The American Scholar."
His speech "The American Scholar" (1837) was called America's "intellectual Declaration of Independence."
Known as an abolitionist and a critic of societal conformity.
Mentored and befriended fellow Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau.

Biography

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) was an American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, minister, abolitionist, and poet who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. He is recognized as a champion of individualism and critical thinking, as well as a critic of societal pressures and conformity.