Transcendentalists

Philosophy- This group believes that people should listen to nature and to their own conscience – instead of religious doctrine – in order to learn the truth about the universe

Ralph Waldo Emerson- former Utopian minister who hosted men and women in his home to talk about how to develop a deeply religious life.

Henry David Thoreau- follower of Emerson jailed for refusing to pay taxes to support a war he thought was immoral. He wrote Civil Disobedience about being true to one’s beliefs even if the law is broken.