On the eve of the Civil War, the middle decades of the 19th century were an extraordinary and vibrant time in American history. Thoreau, Emerson, Whitman, Melville, Hawthorne, and Douglass contributed to the American Renaissance in literature; the Second Great Awakening produced a spectrum of religious expression; and political culture flourished with new parties and factions. In this book, Anne Rose examines how new and controversial ideas were exchanged in the social and cultural arena. She pays particular attention to minority groups - native Americans, women, blacks, and Jews. Twayne’s American Thought and Culture Series aims to teach the reader about the major figures and movements - literary, scientific, religious, philosophical and political culture over the centuries.