ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -The philosophy of transcendentalism originated in Unitarianism, the predominant religious movement in Boston in the early 19th century.

Detailed explanation-2: -The transcendentalists were not content with the sobriety, mildness, and calm rationalism of Unitarianism. Instead, they longed for a more intense spiritual experience. Thus, transcendentalism was not born as a counter-movement to Unitarianism, but as a parallel movement to the very ideas introduced by the Unitarians.

Detailed explanation-3: -Various philosophies began to swirl around this crowd, and the ideas that would become Transcendentalism split from Unitarianism over its perceived rationality and instead embraced German Romanticism in a quest for a more spiritual experience.

Detailed explanation-4: -Transcendentalists who had advanced social reforms that included efforts to increase rights for women, labor, and the indigent redirected their energies toward extinguishing the institution of slavery.