{"product_id":"every-revolution-was-first-a-thought-the-civil-war-and-transcendentalism-in-transatlantic-context-paperback","title":"Every Revolution Was First a Thought: The Civil War and Transcendentalism in Transatlantic Context - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eAren Lerner Craig\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eTracing the impact of transcendental philosophy on Union soldiers and their loved ones during the American Civil War\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Scholars of the American Civil War have long wondered about the seemingly earnest and sincere sentimental commitment that most Northern soldiers had to their nation and the North's cause. Unlike many others in other wars, Union soldiers appeared to embrace the war with an unusual conviction and sacrificed their lives with a rare nobility. Their grieving relatives were also buoyed up by their steadfast beliefs in the righteousness of the cause. What was so different about this war, and this period of American history, and what encouraged such an outlook? \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eEvery Revolution Was First a Thought\u003c\/i\u003e, Aren Lerner Craig argues that in the Civil War era the American Transcendentalist movement provided a coherent worldview that fostered powerful idealism around issues of character, gender, race, and nationhood, even in the worst of times. Through an exploration of diaries, newspaper editorials, popular songs, and more, Craig demonstrates how Transcendentalist thought moved from elite intellectual circles to the public, providing people a firm belief in the power of individual agency to shape the world and a view of spirituality in which each person was divine, and thus beyond death and destruction. Transcendentalist tenets proved strong enough to withstand the devastation of war and inspired high levels of faith and optimism in soldiers and civilians alike throughout the conflict. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Craig traces the origins of Transcendentalism across the Atlantic, to ideas from Scottish Realism and German Idealism, and connects these philosophies to writings and speeches of major figures like Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller. This intellectual history offers a new interpretation of Transcendental thought and its role in the Civil War. \u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAREN LERNER CRAIG\u003c\/b\u003e's work has appeared in the \u003ci\u003eNew England Journal of History \u003c\/i\u003eand\u003ci\u003e The World of Antebellum America: A Daily Life Encyclopedia\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003ci\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eShe has also published several books of historical fiction that involved detailed research into the daily life and culture of the Civil War era. \u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 344\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.72 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 28, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51978199695661,"sku":"9781625348890","price":58.2,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0938\/3185\/6429\/files\/JgBh0cV4MY9781625348890.webp?v=1775800979","url":"https:\/\/ishookbooks.com\/products\/every-revolution-was-first-a-thought-the-civil-war-and-transcendentalism-in-transatlantic-context-paperback","provider":"iShook Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}