Nineteenth-century American culture was largely focused on the creation of new societies, in which individuals could live according to their own beliefs. Puritan ideas played an important role in the formation of this American culture, including the growing philosophical movement of transcendentalism. Transcendentalists went against the "American Dream" created by the Puritans through their beliefs focused on individuality and free will, but their idea of ​​spiritual perfection can be reflected in Puritan ways. Despite the difference in beliefs, Puritanism laid the foundation for movements such as Transcendentalism to develop their own form of utopia. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayThe concept of the “American Dream” was created by the Puritans in the American colonies of the early 18th century and was largely based on the idea of ​​perfectionism; they viewed this New World as a fresh departure from the Old World of Britain and strove to create a society of elites subject to God's highest standards. Puritanism was motivated by Protestant religious beliefs, and America was the “Mecca” for these beliefs. “It is a heavenly city” that was created by God, as a New England Puritan described it: “A city; where God dwells with men, God himself will be with them, and we will inherit all things.” The strict standards of perfection imposed by the Puritans guided the way they ran their society. For the Puritans, hard work and repentance were the key to creating a perfect society because of their belief that everyone was inherently sinful. From the creation of America, Puritanism designated a society of perfectionism and utopia centered around the Protestant religion and the idea of ​​holiness. As social reform movements grew in the early 19th century, transcendentalism was a philosophical movement that grew in popularity. Transcendentalist beliefs arose in protest against puritanist conceptions of intelligence and instead advocated emotional relationships with religion and concepts of idealism and individualism. They also rejected Puritanism's idea that people were inherently sinful and instead believed that people were naturally good. The true clash of Transcendentalism versus Puritanism can be seen in Ralph Walton Emerson's speech to the graduating class of Harvard Divinity College. In this speech, Emerson argued that "the calamity of a decaying church and devastating unbelief" comes from people using religion, rather than virtue, to govern their lives. Virtue, he asserted, allows each person to develop his or her own relationship with the universe and God without “mediator or veil.” Although Transcendentalists neither denied nor rejected the existence of God, they believed in establishing a personal connection to religion rather than relying on the Bible and the beliefs of their ancestors, by which groups with traditional Puritan beliefs felt threatened. , The Transcendentalists were influenced by the Puritans' vision of a utopian society under God; the foundation that the Puritans had built allowed them to build the vision according to their beliefs. Thus, the utopian community of Brook Farm, which was a “city of God, again,” was created. The Transcendentalists, however, developed the Puritans' concept of utopia through exploration; Brook Farm was established not only as.