LITR 4232: American Renaissance
University of Houston-Clear Lake, spring 2003
Online Student's Assignments

Assignment 3         

The texts by William Apes and Sojourner Truth both bring up religion to make their point.  They say that God does not see in skin color, but people persecute because of skin color.   In a 2001 student presentation, the presenter mentions that ,

There has always been an issue of race in America. There has always been an issue of gender. But what brought many to this country originally was the issue of religion. William Apess, a male Native American and Sojourner Truth, a true African-American woman, take Christianity and use it to further their cause for equality under God here on earth.

Religion is generally one of the first things that people can use as an argument when they believe someone is doing something wrong.  It tends to make people listen to the point of the argument more fully when there are biblical references made.  Most people like to believe that they live by the principles in the Bible, and they take pay close attention when they are told that they are not living up to those principles.   By bringing the religion into their arguments, they are ensuring that people will at least listen to what they are trying to say.

            Both of these readings, as well as the Boudinot, Seattle, and Stowe readings, contain many aspect of modernization.  Objective three is very apparent in these readings.     They are about equality for women and for all races.   At the time when these were written, it was an almost unheard of concept.  Even in the North, there were many who were opposed to the institution of slavery, but did not believe in equality.  This was long before the suffrage movement, and was during the time in which Indians were still being slaughtered. 

            Harriet Beecher Stowe and Sojourner Truth also represent Objective 1.  I had not previously read anything by these two women, however, their names stood out in my mind.  I have heard of them and their works in both history and literature classes.  Probably because both women were very progressive at the time, their work has been well remembered.  Emerson’s works are also highly recognizable even to those who have never read his works.

            Emerson’s work uses religion and modernization in a different way than the previous writers.  In “Nature” he discusses his perception of what he wants religion to be.  He does not want to look at religion through the eyes of the earlier generations, but merely to come to his own understanding of religion.   This aspect of “Nature”, along with combining religion with nature shows aspects of Transcendental writing.  This was also modern thinking at the time.  It was breaking away from the historical religions and finding a religion that was right for him even if it was not a traditional way to practice religion.