What is there to say about romanticism and realism in America?

I think that Realism in America was vastly different than
Romanticism or a Transcendentalist articulation.  The emphasis on economic conditions
and material reality is something that we see in realism that might not be as present in
transcendent Romantic thought.  At the time Realism was gaining a hold throughout the
world and in America, there was a greater economic reality that was determining
consciousness.  The post Civil War industrialization of America brought with it more
money and more class disparity.  It is through this end that Realism was able to speak
to and about more Americans.  It sought to understand the nature of reality defined by
class and also hoped to bring about the questioning of spirituality, transcendence, and
the idea of how individuals find unity and symmetry in a world where fragmentation and
disorder seem to be present.  In this light of questioning and seeking to fully
understand consciousness, Realism speaks more to the context of Americans at the time
than Romanticism or Transcendentalism.