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Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman (1819–1892) was the most distinctly American writer of his age. His praise of democracy
and of the dignity of the individual has had an enduring influence upon American culture and the belief
in individualism. His focus on the worth of the common American helped to transform the American political
culture from its aristocratic roots. During the 1850s, while employed as a carpenter, he composed the
poems that make up his major volume of poetry, Leaves of Grass (1855). This work is often considered
the most influential book of poetry in the history of American literature. His celebration of the common
people earned him the title "the poet of democracy."
Whitman was born on Long Island, outside New York City, in 1819. He left school at 13 and became a printer’s
devil. Thereafter, he held a number of newspaper jobs, including editor of the Long Islander newspaper.
As a journalist writing prose and verse for New York papers, he developed an interest in politics. His
ardent stands for abolition and the Free-Soil movement led to difficulties with a number of publishers
with whom he worked.
During the Civil War, Whitman chronicled the experiences of soldiers, citizens, and even President Abraham
Lincoln in his poetry. When his brother was wounded, he went to Washington, D.C., to see him and stayed
on to do all he could to help in the hospitals. His contact with wounded soldiers deeply affected him
and reaffirmed his democratic sentiments.
In 1867, he published his essay "Democracy"—excerpted below—as a celebration of individual liberalism
and small property holdings, looking to the divine spark in each man and woman as the source of democratic
being. The essay was initially a response to Thomas Carlyle’s "Shooting Niagara and After" (1867),
which attacked democracy as a "Gathering of Men in Swarms" and as "delirious absurdity"
that "any man (was) equal to another." Whitman’s eloquent response defends the cultural equality
and independence of each individual. According to Whitman, what is the foundation of democracy? What type
of political culture does he deem necessary for the democratic process to prosper? How does Whitman’s
concept of freedom relate to the idea of civil rights regardless of race, gender, or creed? How do you
think he would respond to the current debate over immigration?
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