A brief introduction to American romanticism

The Romantic Period began at the end of18th century and lasted until the outbreak of the Civil War, which was the most important period in the history of American literature. Washington irving's Notes on Experience marks the beginning of American romantic literature, while Whitman's Leaves of Grass is the representative work of The Romantic Period literature. The Romantic Period's literature is a prosperous period of American literature, so it is also called the American Renaissance. The development of American society gave birth to the literature of a great nation. Young America, without heavy historical burden, soon grew into a politically, economically and culturally independent country. This period is also the period of western expansion in American history. By 1860, the territory has been developed to the west coast of the Pacific Ocean. By the middle of the 19th century, the United States had expanded from thirteen states to twenty-one states, and its population had increased from four million in 1790 to thirty million in 1860. Economically, the transformation of young America to industry not only affected cities, but also affected rural areas. The application of steam power in industrial and agricultural production, the establishment of factories, the large demand for labor and the invention and creation of science and technology have reorganized economic life. In addition, a large number of immigrants have promoted the more vigorous development of industry. Politically, democracy and equality have become the ideals of this young country, leading to the two-party system. What is worth mentioning is the literary and cultural life of this country. With the establishment of an independent American government, the American people feel the need for American literature to express the unique experiences of the American people: the early Puritan colonization, the encounter with Indians, the life of frontier developers and the wild west. The literature of this young country is imaginative and creates a literary environment. Newspapers and periodicals have sprung up like mushrooms after rain, and a large number of literary readers have appeared, forming a romantic literary trend of thought in the first half of the nineteenth century.