DOCSLIB.ORG

203 N. Amity Street

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
203 N. Amity Street http://knowingpoe.thinkport.org/ 203 N. Amity Street Content Overview In this interactive. students will take a virtual tour of the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum located at 29 Amity Street, Baltimore. This outline includes all text on the tour. The activity also includes images. A special thanks to the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum for authorizing this interactive tour. You might consider taking your class on a field trip to the “Poe House”. For more information: http://www.eapoe.org/balt/poehse.htm Intro Poe’s House at 203 N. Amity Street. Click on any of the highlighted rooms of the house (shown at left) to bring up a floorplan of the room. Then click on highlights in the room views shown below to see details. You may also see a larger version of any image by clicking on it at right. The Garret The About the According to most authorities, Poe lived in the garret, or attic, of the Garret Garret house on Amity Street. We don’t have any direct evidence of what kind of furniture Poe had in his room. However, scholars of the Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore have recreated what the room probably looked like from records of other homes at the time. Though all the Poe house furniture has been long lost, the items in the room date to the 1830’s and are typical examples of what a poor family could have afforded. Roll over parts of the floor plan below to explore Poe’s bedroom at 3 Amity Street. Be sure to examine the furniture, windows, walls, and stairs! The FRONT WASHBASIN Garret WALL Where’s the bathroom? Where’s the sink? The bathtub? You’re looking Washbasin at it! A washbasin like this is all Poe would have had clean himself each day. That includes all washing and shaving, but probably not brushing his teeth. Bathtubs were only for the rich, so Poe and his relatives used washbasins filled with water carried from the local stream. They wouldn’t take “baths” as we do today; instead, they would take “cat baths,” using a cloth or their hands to wash and rinse one part at a time. Tooth brushing wasn’t widely practiced in the United States until the 20th century, especially among the poor, so we can be fairly sure Poe wasn’t bushing his teeth every day. When finished with the water, Poe probably dumped it out the window like everyone else did in those days. What about a toilet? You won’t find one of those in the Poe house either. Most people at the time used chamber pots, because they did not have indoor plumbing. Chamber pots are large porcelain pots (about 12”-18” across) stored either under the washbasin or under the bed. If someone had to go to the bathroom, they would pull out the pot, take off the lid, and go right there. Once the chamber pot filled up or began to smell too badly, the waste was dumped out the nearest window! This made for very unclean living situation and slightly hazardous conditions if you were walking down the street. The FRONT DESK/CHAIR Garret WALL Poe spent a fair amount of time reading and writing during his time in Desk/Chair Baltimore. But unlike what you may imagine, Poe did not spend endless nights reading at his desk and laboring over his creations. He and his family were too poor to afford candles or whale oil for lamps, so he couldn’t have afforded the light to write at night. If he wanted to write or read at night, he would have had to go to an open public house or bar – hardly the best places for thoughtful writing. Just how poor was Poe? Consider this letter, probably written in this room to his friend John Kennedy on March 15, 1835. Kennedy had invited Poe to dinner. Judging from the letter, Poe’s appearance was so shabby that he couldn’t bring himself to accept: Dr. Sir,—Your kind invitation to dinner today has wounded me to the quick. I cannot come—and for reasons of the most humiliating nature in my personal appearance. You may conceive my deep mortification in making this disclosure to you—but it was necessary. If you will be my friend so far as to loan me $20, I will call on you tomorrow—otherwise it will be impossible, and I must submit to my fate. Sincerely yours, E. A. Poe Sunday 15th. Poe worked furiously during this time, writing nine stories, eight poems, and eight literary reviews. The money he received from this work helped his family greatly. The FRONT WINDOW Garret WALL What might Poe have seen looking out his third-story window? In 1833, Window Amity Street was on the extreme western edge of Baltimore. The “street” just below the window was little more than a dirt path. In fact, the city didn’t declare it a public road until 1852. The window faces west – away from the town. So unlike the endless apartment and row houses one would see today, Poe probably saw a few scattered houses and several rolling fields. At night, he could see the sun setting from his window across the undeveloped Baltimore lowlands that stretched for miles to the west. The stream where the family probably got their water was also about a mile away toward the west. The window probably didn’t have any drapes. Then again, Poe certainly didn’t have an alarm clock, so the sun in the morning would be a great wake-up call. The LEFT WALL STAIRS Garret Stairs Leading up from the master bedroom below, the stairs to the garret are extremely small and winding. Ten stairs, each a triangle only 11” at its widest point, twist you 180 degrees in the 8 feet between the floors. The only entrance to the room is made even smaller by the slanting ceiling and jutting chimney. In fact, it’s so small that anyone walking up the stairs is forced to duck and bend just to enter the room! People were generally shorter in the early 1800’s than they are today. Nevertheless, at 5’8”, Poe would have to have watched his head when winding his way up the tight, unlit staircase at night. The LEFT WALL CHIMNEY OUTLINE Garret Chimney The bending line you see in the wall is the chimney chute leading from Outline the lower floors to the roof. There were three fireplaces in the house. The fireplace in the back room on the first floor was where meals were prepared. The other two – one in the parlor on the first floor and one in the front bedroom on the second floor – fed into this chimney. They were used primarily for heat. Poe’s room on the top floor was heated by the hot air that rose from the rest of the house. This was great in the winter. In the summer, though, the hot air also rose to the garret – meaning that Poe’s room could be over 100 degrees, even with the window open. The RIGHT EMPTY WALL Garret WALL You might have noticed that this room doesn’t have any closets. So Empty Wall where did Poe put his clothes? Remember, Poe was extremely poor during his time in Baltimore. He probably only had one change of clothes. At night, his hat, coat, and top garments would be hung on a peg in the wall. Like many gentlemen of his day, Poe was said to have worn only black, with no trace of white showing as he walked or visited around town. He also often wore parts of his uniform fro m West Point – the wool overcoat was the warmest thing he would have owned. Years after Poe’s death, a woman named Mary Devereaux, whom Poe was romantically involved with in Baltimore, recalled his appearance: Mr. Poe was about five feet eight inches tall, and had dark, almost black hair, which he wore long and brushed back in student style over his ears. It was as fine as silk. His eyes were large and full, gray and piercing. He was entirely clean shaven. His nose was long and straight, and his features finely cut. The expression about his mouth was beautiful. He was pale, and had no color. His skin was of a clear, beautiful olive. He had a sad, melancholy look. He was very slender…but had a fine figure, an erect military carriage, and a quick step. But it was his manner that most charmed. It was elegant. When he looked at you it seemed as if he could read your thoughts. His voice was pleasant and musical but not deep. He always wore a black frock- coat buttoned up, with a cadet or military collar, a low turned-over shirt collar, and a black cravat tied in a loose knot. He did not follow the fashions, but had a style of his own. His was a loose way of dressing as if he didn’t care. You would know that he was very different from the ordinary run of young men. -- Mary Devereaux, writing for Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, December, 1889 The REAR SLANTING CEILING Garret WALL You may have noticed the odd shape of Poe’s bedroom. Poe lived in the Slanting Ceiling garret, or top room of the house, just below the roof. The slanting ceilings match the severe slant of the roof and create a very uniquely shaped room.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Howells and the Limits of Literary History Claudia Stokes Trinity University, [email protected]
    Trinity University Digital Commons @ Trinity English Faculty Research English Department Spring 2008 In Defense of Genius: Howells and the Limits of Literary History Claudia Stokes Trinity University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.trinity.edu/eng_faculty Part of the English Language and Literature Commons Repository Citation Stokes, C. (2008). In defense of genius: Howells and the limits of literary history. American Literary Realism, 40(3), 189-203. doi: 10.1353/alr.2008.0025 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the English Department at Digital Commons @ Trinity. It has been accepted for inclusion in English Faculty Research by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Trinity. For more information, please contact [email protected]. CLAUDIA STOKES In Defense of Genius: Howells and the Limits of Literary History In early 1886, William Dean Howells fell into an ugly public debate with the poet and critic Edmund Clarence Stedman. Carried out in the pages of Harper’s Monthly and the New Princeton Review, this dispute started as a disagreement about the origins of literary craftsmanship but quickly esca- lated into a heated epistemological squabble about the limits of historical knowledge. It began in March of that year, when Howells gave a mixed review to Stedman’s Poets of America (1885), a history of American poetry. Though Howells conceded the importance of Stedman’s contribution to the emerging discipline of American literary history, he openly mocked a few of Stedman’s claims: his prediction of an American poetry revival and his staunch belief in genius, a category of achievement Stedman used with great liberality.
    [Show full text]
  • James Russell Lowell - Poems
    Classic Poetry Series James Russell Lowell - poems - Publication Date: 2012 Publisher: Poemhunter.com - The World's Poetry Archive James Russell Lowell(22 February 1819 – 12 August 1891) James Russell Lowell was an American Romantic poet, critic, editor, and diplomat. He is associated with the Fireside Poets, a group of New England writers who were among the first American poets who rivaled the popularity of British poets. These poets usually used conventional forms and meters in their poetry, making them suitable for families entertaining at their fireside. Lowell graduated from Harvard College in 1838, despite his reputation as a troublemaker, and went on to earn a law degree from Harvard Law School. He published his first collection of poetry in 1841 and married Maria White in 1844. He and his wife had several children, though only one survived past childhood. The couple soon became involved in the movement to abolish slavery, with Lowell using poetry to express his anti-slavery views and taking a job in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as the editor of an abolitionist newspaper. After moving back to Cambridge, Lowell was one of the founders of a journal called The Pioneer, which lasted only three issues. He gained notoriety in 1848 with the publication of A Fable for Critics, a book-length poem satirizing contemporary critics and poets. The same year, he published The Biglow Papers, which increased his fame. He would publish several other poetry collections and essay collections throughout his literary career. Maria White died in 1853, and Lowell accepted a professorship of languages at Harvard in 1854.
    [Show full text]
  • Henry Wadsworth Longfellow At
    on fellow ous L g ulletinH e Volume No. A Newsletter of the Friends of the Longfellow House and the National Park Service December pecial nniversary ssue House SelectedB As Part of Underground Railroad Network to Freedom S Henry WadsworthA LongfellowI he Longfellow National Historic Site apply for grants dedicated to Underground Turns 200 Thas been awarded status as a research Railroad preservation and research. ebruary , , marks the th facility with the Na- This new national Fanniversary of the birth of America’s tional Park Service’s Network also seeks first renowned poet, Henry Wadsworth Underground Railroad to foster communi- Longfellow. Throughout the coming year, Network to Freedom cation between re- Longfellow NHS, Harvard University, (NTF) program. This searchers and inter- Mount Auburn Cemetery, and the Maine program serves to coor- ested parties, and to Historical Society will collaborate on dinate preservation and help develop state- exhibits and events to observe the occa- education efforts na- wide organizations sion. (See related articles on page .) tionwide and link a for preserving and On February the Longfellow House multitude of historic sites, museums, and researching Underground Railroad sites. and Mount Auburn Cemetery will hold interpretive programs connected to various Robert Fudge, the Chief of Interpreta- their annual birthday celebration, for the facets of the Underground Railroad. tion and Education for the Northeast first time with the theme of Henry Long- This honor will allow the LNHS to dis- Region of the NPS, announced the selec- fellow’s connections to abolitionism. Both play the Network sign with its logo, receive tion of the Longfellow NHS for the Un- historic places will announce their new technical assistance, and participate in pro- derground Railroad Network to Freedom status as part of the NTF.
    [Show full text]
  • University Microfilms International 300 N
    INFORMATION TO USERS This was produced from a copy of a document sent to us for microfilming. While the most advanced technological means to photograph and reproduce this document have been used, the quality is heavily dependent upon the quality of the material submitted. The following explanation of techniques is provided to help you understand markings or notations which may appear on this reproduction. 1.The sign or "target” for pages apparently lacking from the document photographed is “ Missing Page(s)” . If it was possible to obtain the missing page(s) or section, they are spliced into the film along with adjacent pages. This may have necessitated cutting through an image and duplicating adjacent pages to assure you of complete continuity. 2. When an image on the film is obliterated with a round black mark it is an indication that the film inspector noticed either blurred copy because of movement during exposure, or duplicate copy. Unless we meant to delete copyrighted materials that should not have been filmed, you will find a good image of the page in the adjacent frame. If copyrighted materials were deleted you will find a target note listing the pages in the adjacent frame. 3. When a map, drawing or chart, etc., is part of the material being photo­ graphed the photographer has followed a definite method in “sectioning” the material. It is customary to begin filming at the upper left hand corner of a large sheet and to continue from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. If necessary, sectioning is continued again—beginning below the first row and continuing on until complete.
    [Show full text]
  • THE HUMBUG Page 1 of 12 Ebscohost 8/12/2020
    EBSCOhost Page 1 of 12 Record: 1 Title: THE HUMBUG. Authors: Lepore, Jill Source: New Yorker. 4/27/2009, Vol. 85 Issue 11, p65-71. 7p. 1 Color Photograph. Document Type: Article Subject Terms: *AMERICAN authors *AMERICAN horror tales *19TH century American literature *AMERICAN literature -- History & criticism *BIOGRAPHY (Literary form) 19TH century Geographic Terms: UNITED States People: POE, Edgar Allan, 1809-1849 Abstract: The article discusses the approach to writing of 19th-century American author Edgar Allan Poe. Poe's publishing career is discussed, as is the critical reception of his stories and poems of horror and mystery. The relation of his tales to the U.S. politics and economics of his time is also discussed, along with Poe's financial and mental instability. Full Text Word Count: 6040 ISSN: 0028-792X Accession Number: 37839147 Database: Academic Search Premier Section: A CRITIC AT LARGE THE HUMBUG Edgar Allan Poe and the economy of horror Edgar Allan Poe once wrote an essay called "The Philosophy of Composition," to explain why he wrote "The Raven" backward. The poem tells the story of a man who, "once upon a midnight dreary," while mourning his dead love, Lenore, answers a tapping at his chamber door, to find "darkness there and nothing more." He peers into the darkness, "dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before," and meets a silence broken only by his whispered word, "Lenore?" He closes the door. The tapping starts again. He flings open his shutter and, "with many a flirt and flutter," in flies a raven, "grim, ungainly, ghastly, gaunt, and ominous bird of yore." The bird speaks just one word: "Nevermore." That word is the poem's last, but it's where Poe began.
    [Show full text]
  • The Representation of Women in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe
    Faculteit Letteren & Wijsbegeerte Elien Martens The Representation of Women in the Works of Edgar Allan Poe Masterproef voorgelegd tot het behalen van de graad van Master in de Taal- en Letterkunde Engels - Spaans Academiejaar 2012-2013 Promotor Prof. Dr. Gert Buelens Vakgroep Letterkunde 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Prof. Dr. Gert Buelens, without whom this dissertation would not have been possible. His insightful remarks, useful advice and continuous guidance and support helped me in writing and completing this work. I could not have imagined a better mentor. I would also like to thank my friends, family and partner for supporting me these past months and for enduring my numerous references to Poe and his works – which I made in every possible situation. Thank you for being there and for offering much-needed breaks with talk, coffee, cake and laughter. Last but not least, I am indebted to one more person: Edgar Allan Poe. His amazing – although admittedly sometimes rather macabre – stories have fascinated me for years and have sparked my desire to investigate them more profoundly. To all of you: thank you. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 6 1. The number of women in Poe’s poems and prose ..................................................................... 7 2. The categorization of Poe’s women ................................................................................................ 9 2.1 The classification of Poe’s real women – BBC’s Edgar Allan Poe: Love, Death and Women......................................................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 The classification of Poe’s fictional women – Floyd Stovall’s “The Women of Poe’s Poems and Tales” ................................................................................................................................. 11 3.
    [Show full text]
  • 'Spirit Verse' Apocryphal Poems and Marketing in Composing Lizzie
    International Journal of Linguistics, Literature and Culture (Linqua- LLC) June 2016 edition Vol.3 No.2 ISSN 2410-6577 ‘Spirit Verse’ Apocryphal Poems and Marketing in Composing Lizzie Doten’s Poems from the Inner Life Mashael Alhammad, MA in American Literature Prince Sattam University, Saudi Arabia Abstract This paper discusses Lizzie Doten’s book Poems from the Inner Life in which she had claimed that the spirits of dead famous poets, majorly Edgar Allen Poe, wrote most of the poems. I argue that Doten was successful in selling her book. She was able to accomplish this by taking advantage of the public interest of spiritualism during the 19th century and Edgar Allen Poe’s fan base. Keywords: Fandom, fan culture, literature, marketing, 19th century poetry. Introduction In 1909, New York Times newspaper published an article in its November issue under the name Laureate of Spookland: Strange Case of Lizzie Doten, Writer of ‘Spirit Verse.’ They acknowledged Lizzie Doten’s ability of communicating with dead poets and publishing their poems in her book titled Poems from the Inner Life (New York Times, 1909). Even though forty-five years had passed since the publication of her book, Doten still received notice from one of the leading newspapers. However, her popularity derived from communicating with spirits was not uncommon. Along with being seen as a movement that has helped in promoting radical political and cultural beliefs such as women’s rights and abolitionism, spiritualism, the belief in the possibility in communicating with the dead, has provided a profession and fame through many mediums.
    [Show full text]
  • Colonel John A. Joyce Author of a Checkered Life. Peculiar Poems
    EDGAR ALLAN POE ! FROM TH E LAST DAGUERREOTYPE KEN TA ) . ” OLO OH JOY C N EL J N A . CE “ “ uthor of A Checkered Life Peculiar Poem s A . “ ! “ ! “ Z igzag. Jewel s of Memory. Com p lete ! Poems. Oliver G old smith. and Many Popu lar Songs. — Speak nothing of the living or the dead but TRUTH l j oyce. NNYSON NEELY F. TE NEW Y ORK LONDON CONTE S NT . HAP E C T R I . e B i rth an d Li neag . CHAP ER T II . Precocity an d Early School D ay s CHAP TE R III . Col lege Days and Wan deri ngs AP CH TER I V. e t oi n Ex eri ence and B reak h Al l W s P t p , wi t an AP CH TER V. — Driftin g About B al tim or e Li terary S u c cess AP CH TER VI . CHAP TER VI I . “ ”— Writing for Literary Messenger Remor se an d CHAPTER VI II . — — Marriage Magazine Writings M igration to New o n . e e e e e e e e e o o o o Q Q Q O Q Q - q qqi C ontents. I . CHAPTER X m ar: — Life in Phi l adelphi a Cri ti ci sm s of Authors CHAPTER X. — H ome at Spring Garden Family F elicity “ ’ ” Graham s M agazi n e E CHAP T R XI . — Remo val to New York Work on the D ail y Mi r ror —E rrati c N ature AP E CH T R XII .
    [Show full text]
  • Science and Edgar Allan Poe's Pathway to Cosmic Truth
    SCIENCE AND EDGAR ALLAN POE’S PATHWAY TO COSMIC TRUTH by Mo Li A Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in English Middle Tennessee State University May 2017 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Philip Edward Phillips, Chair Dr. Maria K. Bachman Dr. Harry Lee Poe I dedicate this study to my mother and grandmother. They taught me persistence and bravery. !ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I must express my immense gratitude to Dr. Philip Edward Phillips for opening up Edgar Allan Poe’s starry worlds to me. Without Dr. Phillips’s generous guidance and inestimable patience, I could not have completed this study. I would also like to thank Dr. Maria K. Bachman and Dr. Harry Lee Poe. Their invaluable insights and suggestions led me to new discoveries in Poe. !iii ABSTRACT Poe’s early grievance in “Sonnet—To Science” (1829) against science’s epistemological authority transitioned into a lifelong journey of increasingly fruitful maneuvering. Poe’s engagement with science reached its apogee in Eureka: A Prose Poem (1848), his cosmological and aesthetic treatise published near the end of his life. While exalting intuition and poetic imagination as the pathway to Truth, Eureka builds upon, questions, and revises a wealth of scientific authorities and astronomical works. Many classic and recent studies, however, appreciate the poetic value but overlook or reject the scientific significance of the treatise. In contrast, some scholars assess Eureka by its response and contribution to specific theories and methods of nineteenth-century or contemporary science. Although some scholars have defended Eureka’s scientific achievements, they rarely investigate the role of science in Poe’s other works, especially his early or enigmatic ones.
    [Show full text]
  • Margaret Fuller: an Exhibition University Libraries--University of South Carolina
    University of South Carolina Scholar Commons Irvin Department of Rare Books & Special Rare Books & Special Collections Publications Collections 10-1973 Margaret Fuller: An Exhibition University Libraries--University of South Carolina Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarcommons.sc.edu/rbsc_pubs Part of the Library and Information Science Commons Recommended Citation University of South Carolina, "University of South Carolina Libraries - Margaret Fuller: An Exhibition, Novemberber 1973". http://scholarcommons.sc.edu/rbsc_pubs/42/ This Catalog is brought to you by the Irvin Department of Rare Books & Special Collections at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Rare Books & Special Collections Publications by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MARGARET FULLER: AN EXHIBITION FROM THE COLLECTION OF JOEL MYERSON DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SERIES No.8 1973 UNIVERSITY' OF SOUTH CAROLINA Department of English Bibliographical Series G. ROSS ROY, GENERAL EDITOR No.1 G. Ross Roy. ROBERT BURNS. 1966 No. -2 WILLIAM S. KABLE. ROBERT BRIDGES. 1967 No.3 GOORGE M. REEVES. GUSTAVE FLAUBERT: POESIES DE jEUNESSE INEDITES. 1968 No.4 JOHN R. WELSH. JOHN ESTEN COOKE'S AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL MEMO. 1969 No.5 JOSEPH KATZ. A FRANK NORRIS COLLECTION. 1970 No.6 MATTHEW j. BRUCCOLI. STEPHEN CRANE 1871.1971. 1971 No.7 RODGER L. TARR. A BIBLIOGRAPHY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTICLES ON THOMAS CARLYLE: 1900·1965. 1972 MARGARET FULLER: AN EXHIBITION FROM THE COLLECTION OF JOEL MYERSON Held at the McKissick Library of the University of South Carolina 1·30 November 1973 DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH UNlVEUITY OF SoUTH CAROLINA BIBLIOGRAPHICAL SEtUES No.
    [Show full text]
  • The Republican Court: Or, American Society in the Days of Washington
    THE REPUBLICAN COURT OR AMERICAN SOCIETY IN THE DAYS OF WASHINGTON. BY RUFUS WILMOT GRISWOLD. D9RAVED FROM ORI9INAL PICTURES BY WOOLASTON, COPLEY. 9AINSBOROU9B, STUART, TRUMBULL, PINK, MALBONB, AND OTHER CONTEMPORARY PAINTERS. / NEW YORK: D. APPLETON· AND COMPANY, 346 AND 348 BROADWAY. LONDON: 18 LITTLE BRITAIN. ILDCCC.LV. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 18114, by D. APPLETON'" COMPANY, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. .... ~. ... ". .. .. .: ... -... ::.- ... ... ..• p : :-:: .• .. • . ........... .. .. .. ':. ...... -.-: ..... ; .. :. ! . .. ..... ! .: CONTENTS • ... PAO.. PEACE THE CONVENTION 37 THE YEAR OF SUSPENSE . 77 THE TRIUMPHAL PROGRESS. 113 THE INAUGGRATION . • 137 NEW YORK METROPOLITAN. 147 THE EASTERN TOUR . • 183 THE SEASON OF EIGHTY-NINE AND NINETY. 203 REMOVAL OF THE GOVERNMENT . • 231 SOCIETY IN PHILADELPHIA. 253 THE SOUTHERN TOUR • 273 DISCONTENT AND SEDITION 285 LIFE IN THE CAPITAL .309 THE CONCLUSION 357 APPENDIX .371 THE CONVENTION. I. AND now it becomes necessary to ask, What was the political condition of the colonies when the struggle for independence at last was over ~ In the language of Washington, success had but afforded the United States "tho opportunity of becoming a respect­ ahle natiun." Feeble indeed had been the chain which had bound them together as united states during the conflict; its strongest links were an innate hatred of tyranny, and the external pressure which forced them to coalesce. Not the least marvellous feature in the story of the Revolution, is its ultimate triumph under a sys­ tem so weak and inadequate as that furnished by the old articles of confederation. In other hands than those of Washington as commander, and Morris as financier, it may well be doubted whe­ ther the hour of triumph would then have come.
    [Show full text]
  • The Universal
    David Faflik BOARDINGHOUSE LiFE, BOARDINGHOUSE LETTERS In 1842, journalist-poet Walt Whitman could pronounce "the universal Yankee nation" "a hoarding people." He went on to explain that ' |m]arried men and single men, old women and pretty girls; milliners and masons; cohhiers, colonels, and counter-jumpers; tailors and teachers; lieuten- ants, loafers, ladies, lackbrains, and lawyers; printers and parsons—'hlack spirits and white, hiue spirits and gay'—all 'go out to hoard'" ("New York" 22-23). Today his pronouncement mystifies. Not only has urhan hoarding as a social fact all hut vanished, hut the boardinghouse as a cultural phe- nomenon, as the kind of conspicuous ohject-image that invited commen- tary to hegin with, likewise has faded from view. Yet Americans of Whitmans day truly were "a hoarding people," drawn as they were to hoardinghouses in astonishing numhers. While the majority of United States residents still favored the stand-alone dwelling (Martin 148), Whitmans later claim that three-quarters of Manhattan's adult population had boarded or was boarding as of 1856 hints at the central place the hoardinghouse held not just in New York hut in nine- teenth-century American life generally ("Wicked" 95; Benedict 101).' But what Whitman's remarks most suggest is this: that the antehellum hoard- inghtjuse was otice glaringly worth writing about and that boarding car- ried discursive consequences for a people pressed hy urhan necessity into the improvised living arrangement that once upon a titne was boarding. Simply put, the process hy which hoardinghouse life was translated into a boardinghouse-oriented print tradition, and so hecame a legitimate literary genre in its own right, reveals much ahout the period.
    [Show full text]