Owen Frazer and Vance McConnico

Cooper/Whipple

AP LANG

11/18/2021

Interconnectedness of World and Role of America in the World

Worldwide intellectual movements have a way of ingraining themselves within every

aspect of human culture. The Enlightenment, the predecessor to Romanticism, found its ideas

being applied to politics, art, science, and more. The Romantic period was no different; its

passionate ideas of a solitary lifestyle, the interconnectedness of the world, the worship of nature,

and its emphasis on creativity and imagination led to a shift in political ideology and some of the

finest writing in human history. Ralph Waldo Emerson was influenced by the Romantic period's

emphasis on the interconnectedness of the world, and it’s apparent when looking at his writings

such as “Nature.” Another writer influenced by Romantic motifs is Walt Whitman, a prominent

poet and writer, whose writings such as “Leaves of Grass'' also drawback to the concept of the

interconnectedness of the world, with all of these writings describing an interconnected world

America began questioning its role in the world. The Transcendentalist motif of the

interconnectedness of the world influenced the debate of the time as America became more

influential and involved in world affairs than before.

During the Antebellum period, the idea of the interconnectedness of the world was

prominent; this influenced the emergence of America as the leading global superpower. While

America’s position as an unrivaled global superpower came fully to fruition in 1898, the
blueprint for this unrivaled dominance came much earlier. The concept of the interconnected

world in the Romantic period was that all things are connected, this instilled into a mindset that

the United States needed to militarize and be able to both defend itself from opposing forces

(European, Mexican, Native, Etc.) and exert its influence onto these countries. The War of 1812

began with the British impressment of American sailors and restrictions on American trade. The

United States declared war on Britain and attacked Canada. The war ended in 1815 with the

signing of the Treaty of Ghent and one thing became abundantly clear: the days of the United

States being a military underdog needed to come to an end, a book written by the United States

contains a complete history of the battles fought by the Navy of the United States describes the

dominance of the Navy with excerpts such as “This circumstance will give them an idea of the

power and resources of the United States altogether different from that which they before

entertained” (Kimball 224). Following the War of 1812 came an era of unparalleled military and

land expansion. The Romantic ideas regarding the interconnectedness of the world undoubtedly

acted as a catalyst for the military build-up, acquisitions of Florida, Texas, Oregon, and the

westward migration of the citizens of the United States following the War of 1812. Americans

saw the continent as interconnected with themselves and rightfully theirs and decided, in unison

with their government, it was time to claim that land. During this westward expansion also came

the growth of the United States economy which would eventually develop into a superpower. In

1815 the total exports and cotton exports of the United States were 51 and 23 million dollars

respectively and by 1860 they had risen to 175 and 325 million dollars. This increase in economy

is described in the book, “A Key to the Orders in Council” where it states “...the increased

intercourse between American and France would inevitably oblige the merchants of the former

to take returns in the produce of France or the continent of Europe.” This describes the influence
and rise of the young economy. The United States began sharing its economic influence with the

world, and with the Monroe Doctrine, America’s role in the world became perspicuous. The

United States, influenced by the romantic concept of the interconnectedness of the world, had

become a beacon for democracy and economic excellence, a beacon that needed to stand alone,

free from European influence.

“Nature” by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a piece full of romantic elements. The book

touches on almost all aspects of romanticism: individualism, the spirituality of nature, escapism,

etc. The main concept of this piece is that all people and things are one and the same, all

encompassed by the spiritual being that is nature. This is made clear through excerpts such as

“Man is conscious of a universal soul within or behind his individual life, wherein, as in a

firmament, the natures of Justice, Truth, Love, Freedom, arise and shine.” (Emerson Chapter 4)

This demonstrates the idea that all of humanity is connected through nature in the form of a

singular universal consciousness. Emerson was influenced by the Transcendentalist and

Romantic sense that the world is interconnected through nature. Emerson argued that people

looked at the individual aspects of nature solely through their eyes while in reality, nature is a

holistic entity with which we all interact.

Walt Whitman, an American poet during the Antebellum period, was no doubt a

proponent of the concept of an interconnected world. His writings are full of references to motifs

of the romantic period. In “Crossing Brooklyn Ferry” Whitman writes “What is it then between

us? What is the count of the scores or hundreds of years between us? Whatever it is, it avails

not—distance avails not, and place avails not, I too lived, Brooklyn of ample hills was mine, I

too walked the streets of Manhattan island, and bathed in the waters around it, I too felt the

curious abrupt questionings stir within me, I too had received identity by my body.” This quote
demonstrates that though our experiences may be different we are all united together by the

experience of humanity, the experience of living. He speaks to the idea that through the trials and

tribulations faced by each individual vary greatly, it is one pain, a human pain that we all

experience. The concepts in this piece line up perfectly with the ideas of the romantic period and

it is without a doubt he drew inspiration from these ideas in order to depict the human

experience.

The Romantic Era idea of an interconnected world influenced all facets of human and

American culture in a unique way. The ideas of westward expansion and the need to grow more

powerful as an economy and military in the United States came from the idea of an

interconnected world. The United States realized the world and humanity were becoming more

interconnected and after the War of 1812 needed to put itself in a position of power. The idea of

an interconnected world also affected the writing of the time, specifically the works of Walt

Whitman and Ralph Waldo Emerson who took the idea and showed how humanity was related

through the nature that surrounded them and their human experience.

The artifact represents both the interconnectedness of the world and the role of America

in the world. The globe and the tree roots that surround it, connecting the countries of the world,

represent the interconnectedness of the world and also relates to “Nature” by Ralph Waldo

Emerson. Emerson claims that all people and things are the same and are encompassed by

nature. The United States flags that come from Canada, Britain, and France represent the

countries that the United States had conflicts with during the War of 1812. The U.S. fought the

British, who were supported by the French, and attempted to invade the Canadian border.
 MLA Works Cited

Croker, John Wilson,“A Key to the Orders in Council.” 1812, Digital Public Library of America,

http://dp.la/item/63c29f55dbd8db65e6d02a4af88a1cb4. Accessed 18 November, 2021.

Emerson, Ralph. “Nature.” 1869, American Transcendentalism Web, 2021,

https://archive.vcu.edu/english/engweb/transcendentalism/ authors/emerson/nature.html

Accessed 18 November, 2021.

Kimball, Horace “The Naval Temple: Containing a Complete History of the Battles Fought by

the Navy of the United States.” 1816, Digital Public Library of America,

http://dp.la/item/4e1c117646d34e36a4527fd4d18fd6f9. Accessed 18 November, 2021.

Whitman, Walt. “To You.” 1856. Americanliterature.com, 2021,

https://americanliterature.com/author/walt-whitman/poem/to-you Accessed 18

November, 2021.