Self-Reliance and The American Scholar

The intellectual declaration of independence for a country still deferring to Europe. In The American Scholar, Emerson called for original thought rooted in American experience. In Self-Reliance, he made the case for trusting one's own conscience against the weight of the crowd, a deeply civic argument disguised as a personal one. To govern yourself, you must first dare to think for yourself. Emerson taught a young nation that habit, which is the first condition of self-rule.

The essayist who issued the intellectual declaration of independence for a young country still deferring to Europe. The American Scholar called for original thought rooted in American experience. Self-Reliance made the case for trusting one's own conscience against the pressure of the crowd, a deeply civic argument disguised as a personal one. He taught a nation to think for itself, which is the first condition of governing itself.