"There is one mind common to all individual men."
Emerson's opening line introduces the main concept of History: the idea that all humanity shares a sublime nature that unites it. The one mind Emerson believes is that which unites all human thought. Since humanity has a shared origin, all thought is inspired by this shared, divine origin. All ideas throughout history have all arisen from human nature. In Emerson's essay, all of history stems from this “common mind”. While each man has a separate influence on history, history is united through this “common mind”. This “common mind” exists within all men across history.
“The creation of a thousand forests is in one acorn, and Egypt, Greece, Rome, Gaul, Britain, America, lie folded already in the first man.”
Emerson's belief in the possibility of human nature. Just as an acorn can one day grow a forest, a single man can too grow a civilization. All the great civilizations of the world began with one individual. Emerson believes then this ability is innate in all of humanity. One decision can give birth to entire cultures just as planting an acorn can grow a forest. Over hundreds of years, these decisions build up into history. The actions of humanity build on one another to create the chronology of history. Civilization is a product of all these possibilities within humans. The power to grow an entire civilization exists within the individual.
“All literature writes the character of the wise man”
To Emerson, literature is the best reflection of humanity. In literature, humanity strives for its best possible state. Literature is a purified example of humanity's ability to achieve. All books, stories, and tales attempt to tell the best possible story. The character of the “wise man” is inherent in all writing. All writers work to achieve the best possible state of writing. Literature seeks to both improve itself, the reader, and the writer. All struggle to achieve the character of the “wise man” or the pinnacle of human thought and form.
“Every chemical substance, every plant, every animal in its growth, teaches the unity of cause, the variety of appearance.”
The observation by Emerson that all things in the world are united in cause. The “unity of cause” Emerson speaks about is the unity of life across Earth. All life struggles to achieve its best possible status. In this, Emerson sees a divine nature: all things struggle towards the divine. While all things on the Earth are different, they are all united in the same cause of living and evolution.
“A painter told me that nobody could draw a tree without in some sort becoming a tree; or draw a child by studying the outlines of its form merely, — but, by watching for a time his motions and plays, the painter enters into his nature, and can then draw him at will in every attitude.”
Emerson's evidence for the “unity of cause” among all life. The artist is able to envision and live the life of any other living creature. The painter, in some form, does become the tree to draw it. The painter is able to define life by observation or experience. All creativity relates back to the struggle of life. The painter, or child, struggles to define and depict the tree in its true nature. If humans can understand the nature of the tree, then all life is united in this understanding. Every “attitude” or emotion of life is experienced by all creatures. Human history is a chronicle of this understanding across time.
”Let it suffice that in the light of these two facts, namely, that the mind is One, and that nature is its correlative, history is to be read and written.”
Emerson's final statement upon the study of history (the main purpose of the essay). He concludes with the statement that the “mind” is one with “nature”. Humanity is united with the natural world through divine origins. This allows humans to understand the process of nature. As humanity and nature are united in the process of time, this allows the study of history. The process of history is to be both read and written. Human nature and ability can be understood through the process of history. The concept of history is within human nature due to the “one mind”. Nature unites all things through divine purpose. Humanity need only examine it to understand.
