Humans have a need to be remembered for something that is ingrained deep down within us. This feeling is timeless. People have the desire to create something that will make you, or your generation, remembered by future generation. Technology can usually be traced as the root of a change. It is something that the newest generation had which the older generation did not. In most cases, the newer generation embraces the technology, whereas the older generation may not. This can be found in today’s society as well. For example, the day my father decided to get an iPhone, was probably the last time he was able to receive a phone call on the first try. He is not used to a change that may make life easier for most, for something he has been doing for his entire life. That being said, my thirteen-year-old cousin is able to use her iPhone more efficiently than anyone I know. The reason why the newest generation embraces technology is normally brought back to the idea that we can share ideas quickly. This is the reason why Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms are so popular. If I have a ground breaking idea, I am able to share it to the world, no matter where I am, in a matter of seconds. Without the invention of the Smart Phone, this would not be possible, however all forms of communication can be traced back to the invention of the printing press. In 1846, Richard M. Hoe created the Cylinder Printing Press, which made the quantity and quality of print media increase substantially (PBS). This time period all coincided with the Transcendentalist movement, the forward thinking ideals that sparked the American Renaissance. At this point in time, people were able to write their ideas on paper for hundreds of years, however now they can be easily distributed for a significantly less cost. The Mid-1800’s in America was just starting the Industrial Revolution. In less that five years, there were inventions that altered the way people lived. With the invention of machines like the Electro-magnetic Machine and the Threshing Machine, farming became considerably easier, which altered the agricultural focused economy the United States had. Jobs were changed from the farm, to the factory, and this shift allowed people with money to focus more on education then working (PBS). Ralph Waldo Emerson took advantage of this. Being well educated and inheriting a large sum of money from his first wife, he was able to publish a literary magazine called The Dial where people of like thinking could express their ideas. His location in the North East, particularly the Boston area, allowed him to utilize the newest inventions (Woodlief). Emerson’s ideas and influence became the central focal point of the American Renaissance. He wrote about how important it is to find one’s self and the questioning of Christianity as a whole, which was very taboo at the time. In a time where religion was so heavily emphasized in society, this new philosophy was shocking. His educational background was religious; however later in life he began to rethink his personal philosophy. He wrote, “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of the principles (842).” He also wrote that people should be happy with themselves; he strongly believed that “imitation is suicide.” He consistently believed that it is important for men to “believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heat, is true for all men, -that is genius (825).” Because of his literary power, he was able to publish his friends who had similar ideas. Specifically, Henry David Thoreau and Margaret Fuller spent the majority of their time with Emerson (Woodlief). He had a tendency to open up his doors to his friends for weeks at a time to just talk and write together (Woodlief). This environment was very productive and a lot of culture altering pieces were written. For
