Background Influence of Civil War on American psychology The War led many to question the assumptions shared by the Transcendentalists concerning the benevolence of God, natural goodness and the optimistics view of nature and man people began to thnik about the real world they were living in Development of industry: With wealth being more and more accumulated in the hands of the few captains of industry who provided stories of success for the thousands of common peopleBackground ◼ Influence of Civil War on American psychology: The War led many to question the assumptions shared by the Transcendentalists concerning the benevolence of God, natural goodness and the optimistics view of nature and man. People began to thnik about the “real” world they were living in. ◼ Development of industry: With wealth being more and more accumulated in the hands of the few “captains of industry” who provided stories of success for the thousands of common people