The Transcendental Club in Transcendentalism
In many ways, the Transcendental Club was at the heart of the Transcendentalist movement in New England. The Club formed in 1836, when Ralph Waldo Emerson, along with his buddies George Ripley, George Putnam, and some other folks named George, got together in Cambridge, Massachusetts, for some real serious chats.
It was during the meetings of the Club that many of the important Transcendentalist ideas were developed. Sure, the members of the Club didn't necessarily see eye-to-eye on everything, but they shared certain ideas and values—for instance, the Unitarian Church. Lots of them weren't so happy with it. And the other reform and rights stuff we've been going on about—that was a pretty easy common denominator too.
So, many of the most important writers in the movement were members of this Club at some point or another. And that's where the bulk of these ideas came to sprout.
Chew on This
Ralph Waldo Emerson was a founder and a key member of The Transcendental Club, and he talked the house down about it in his "Self-Reliance" essay.
Guy-not-named-George alert! Bronson Alcott was an educational reformer who was also one of the early members of The Transcendental Club. This ShmoopTube clip will fill you in on his contributions to getting the movement up and rolling.