【正确答案】正确答案：The American Scholar is a speech given by Ralph Waldo Emerson on August 31, 1837, when he was invited to speak in recognition of his groundbreaking work Nature. Sixty years after declaring independence, American culture was then still heavily influenced by Europe, and Emerson then, for possibly the first time in the country"s history, provided a visionary philosophical framework for escaping "from under its iron lids" and building a new, distinctly American cultural identity. Therefore, this speech is celebrated as "America"s Intellectual Declaration of Independence".

【答案解析】解析：本题考查爱默生的《美国学者》，考生可以从当时的历史环境对此问题予与作答。