Transcendentalism was a 19th century literary, philosophical, and social movement that emphasized spiritual intuition and nature over established religion and doctrine. It asserted that God is realized through intuition and nature rather than books or religious institutions. Transcendentalism was influenced by Vedic philosophy from India, German idealism, English romanticism, and the American landscape. It emphasized concepts like intuition, imagination, conscience, self-reliance, and finding inspiration in nature.