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U.S. Cultural Movements
of Early 1800s
Neoclassical architecture
Revival of Greek and Roman styles
US modeled itself after the Roman Republic and the democratic ideals of ancient Greece
Sometimes called the “Federal” style in the US
The White House Built 1792 – 1800
Burned during War of 1812, but restored by 1817
Built onto in 1824, 1829, 1901, 1927, and 1946
In 1950s, entire structure was rebuilt with a steel frame from the inside, out when it was found to be collapsing!
US Capitol Built 1793 – 1811 Burned during War
of 1812, but restored by 1819
Expanded between 1826 and 1863; small dome was added but soon replaced by the larger dome seen today
Monticello Built 1768 – 1809 Charlottesville, VA Home of Thomas
Jefferson – he designed it himself
Today, it is the only private home designated as a World Heritage Site by the UN
Alexis de Tocqueville
1805 – 1859 French Author of Democracy in
America Toured US for 2 years
observing how democracy was creating a uniquely “American” culture
Determined America was a society where hard work and money-making was what drove people, where commoners never deferred to their “betters”, and where individualism was admired
Noah Webster 1758 – 1843 Published his first
dictionary in 1806 In 1826, published his
“American” dictionary where he provided new American spellings of English words and included thousands of distinctly American words
Romanticism Artistic and literary
movement that advocated feeling over reason, inner spirituality over external rules, individual over society, and nature over human-made environments
Hudson River School of Artists
American artists who focused on painting distinctly American landscapes – canyons, rivers, scenes of wild, untamed frontiers
Popular throughout 1800s
Washington Irving 1783 – 1859 Wrote The Legend
of Sleepy Hollow, Rip van Winkle
Usually wrote under a pseudonym
Perfected the short story as a true literary artform
Edgar Allan Poe 1809 – 1849 “Master of the Macabre” Wrote many poems and
short-stories in the horror genre: The Raven, The Black Cat, The Cask of Amontillado, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Murders in the Rue Morgue, The Tell-Tale Heart
Married his 13 year-old cousin (he was 26) but she died at 15
Died of unknown causes (known to drink heavily)
James Fenimore Cooper 1789 – 1851 Wrote The Last of
the Mohicans Wrote mostly about
the frontier and relations between white settlers and Native Americans
Nathaniel Hawthorne
1804 – 1864 Wrote The Scarlet
Letter Wrote largely on
man’s tendency to sin, resulting in his work being called “dark romanticism”
Herman Melville 1819 – 1891 Wrote Moby Dick One of the only
Romantic authors to not be very popular during his own lifetime
Walt Whitman 1819 – 1892 Free Verse Poet Best known for his
work Leaves of Grass
Works described as obscene in his own time because of sexual frankness, homosexual themes
Emily Dickinson 1830 – 1886 American poet Wrote thousands of
poems Obsessed with death Broke rules of poetry
concerning structure, rhyme, and capitalization
Famous recluse – did not leave her home for the last 30 years of her life
Transcendentalism Literary and
philosophical movement
Emphasized individualism and self-reliance over religion
People need to “transcend” (overcome) the limits of their mind to embrace beauty and truth
Hated conformity and “followers”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
1803 – 1882 Philosopher,
lecturer, essayist, and poet
Believed that all things were divine because all things were connected to God
Strong belief in individualism
Henry David Thoreau
1817 – 1862 Author of Walden
and Civil Disobedience
Early environmentalist
Abolitionist “That government
is best which governs not at all”
Opposed taxes
Margaret Fuller 1810 – 1850 Author Woman in the
Nineteenth Century – first major feminist work published in US
Believed in women’s rights to education and employment; wanted prison reform and an end to slavery
Died in a shipwreck
“Penny” Press Mass produced
daily newspapers which became affordable for common people
Focused on reports of fires, crime reports, marriages, gossip, politics, local news
Godey’s Lady’s Weekly 1830 – 1898 Covered poetry,
literature, and art primarily from women artists
Included dress patterns, sheet music
First magazine to copyright its material to prevent other publications from using it
Atlantic Monthly 1857 – Today Focused on literary
and cultural trends Founded and run by
famous writers of the time: Stowe, Emerson, Longfellow, etc.
Has published everyone from Mark Twain to Martin Luther King
Harper’s Weekly 1857 – 1916 Featured foreign
and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor
Became famous for its political cartoons by Thomas Nast