Profoundly influenced by Romanticism, transcendentalism was a philosophical, religious, and literary movement that came about in the early nineteenth century. Transcendentalists emphasized the importance of intuition over logic as well as the connection between the divine and the natural world. They wanted to emphasize the power of spiritual experiences over the experiences in the material world.

Ralph Waldo Emerson was a writer who kickstarted the transcendentalism movement by claiming that religion should focus more on the wisdom of humans. In the poem "Song of Myself," he expresses the transcendentalist idea that humans can become better in touch with their own souls through the natural world. For instance, he writes: “I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love.” The word “love” at the end of this sentence suggests that the speaker has no hesitation and is excited to become one with the earth. This suggests that humans should embrace their unity with nature. He also says, “If you want me again look for me under your boot-soles,” which suggests that even when people are gone from the material world they are not really gone because they are one with nature.

The speaker also celebrates his unity with the divine in his poem. For instance, note how he says “I know that the head of God is the promise of my own / And I know that the spirit of God is the brother of my own." He also says “I hear and behold God in every object.” In these lines, the speaker underscores how God is connected to the natural world and to people and he thus emphasizes the power of the spiritual over the material.