It is free will that keeps men from being enslaved, physically and spiritually. Once a man has free will, he can make decisions for himself, so he belongs to no one but himself. This free will is valued by transcendentalists; this frees man from external control and allows him to create instead of imitate. Transcendentalists also expected people to make their own decisions based on their conscience rather than what authority says. To achieve this, you need free will. A great transcendentalist, Emerson, expressed this idea in his essay Self-Reliance. In his essay, Emerson asked people to seek the truth from themselves rather than from anyone else. Emerson supported this idea by drawing on the example of great masters such as Newton, Washington and Bacon. These great masters did not find the truth from anyone other than themselves. No one taught them, so they taught themselves. By creating instead of imitating, these great masters left a great legacy to society. Transcendentalists also believe in action. According to transcendentalism, everything in this universe is connected to each other. His action will affect others, and the effects of this action will eventually return to him. If an injustice occurs, no one can apologize for not taking action to justify the injustice. Failure to act to correct injustice is an act of participating in injustice; injustice will eventually happen to anyone who is indifferent to that injustice at the beginning. Another great transcendentalist, Thoreau, used himself as an example of this idea. Thoreau was opposed to the Mexican War and slavery because he believed they were injustices committed by the government. As he strived to correct on his own these unjust facts... middle of paper ... r from the government, the Church or any other authority, because he realizes that the truth comes from him- even. Dr. King is well influenced by Thoreau and Emerson and he lived a truly transcendental life. Dr. King impacted an entire generation of Americans, inspiring them through the celebration of uniqueness, concern for others, and independent thought. Drawing inspiration from Thoreau and Emerson, Dr. King told people why they should act in the face of injustice, how they should act in the face of injustice, and what they need to know to support their positions. Works Cited Emerson, Ralph Waldo. “Self-sufficiency”. The Norton Anthology of American Literature 2003: 842, 839. Thoreau, Henry David. "Civil disobedience." The Norton Anthology of American Literature 2003: 544, 553. King, Martin Luther Jr. “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” » Why we can't wait 1963: 77-100.