Conflagration

How the Transcendentalists Sparked the American Struggle for Racial, Gender, and Social Justice

De: John A. Buehrens

Narrado por: Jeff Zinn

A dramatic retelling of the story of the Transcendentalists, revealing them not as isolated authors but as a community of social activists who shaped progressive American values.

Conflagration illuminates the connections between key members of the Transcendentalist circle - including James Freeman Clarke, Elizabeth Peabody, Caroline Healey Dall, Elizabeth Stanton, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, Theodore Parker, and Margaret Fuller - who created a community dedicated to radical social activism. These authors and activists laid the groundwork for democratic and progressive religion in America.

In the tumultuous decades before and immediately after the Civil War, the Transcendentalists changed 19th-century America, leading what Theodore Parker called "a Second American Revolution." They instigated lasting change in American society, not only through their literary achievements but also through their activism: Transcendentalists fought for the abolition of slavery, democratically governed churches, equal rights for women, and against the dehumanizing effects of brutal economic competition and growing social inequality.

The Transcendentalists' passion for social equality stemmed from their belief in spiritual friendship - transcending differences in social situation, gender, class, theology, and race. Together, their fight for justice changed the American sociopolitical landscape. They understood that none of us can ever fulfill our own moral and spiritual potential unless we care about the full spiritual and moral flourishing of others.

©2020 John A. Buehrens (P)2020 Beacon Press

Reseñas de la Crítica

"A clear, vibrant picture of the varieties of heroism that appear in battles for human rights." (Kirkus Reviews)

"An...engaging narrative. Buehrens’s take on Transcendental activism will appeal to scholars interested in exploring antebellum social justice concerns." (Publishers Weekly)

“A deftly organized, comprehensively detailed, soundly documented, expertly written, thought-provoking and unique contribution to both community and academic library American Social & Cultural History collections.” (Midwest Book Review)

Important and Timely

This book is a detailed introduction to some of the most important founders of progressive and socially active ideas and institutions in our nation’s history. It’s very inspiring and needed in these troubled times.