Greenleaf whittier biography
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Biography of John Greenleaf Whittier, 1807-1892
Biographical Sketch by Donna-Jean Breckenridge
Imagine a birthday party whose guests included Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, William Cullen Bryant, and James Russell Lowell. The guest of honor was John Greenleaf Whittier, celebrating his 70th birthday. What prompted such company?
Whittier's life began in December of 1807, in Haverhill, Massachusetts, into a Quaker family. He lived on a farm, and it's easy to imagine that it was from a real-life experience that he later wrote his lengthy and most famous poem, "Snow-bound."
Whittier's first published poem was entitled "The Exile's Departure," and it was printed in William Lloyd Garrison's Newburyport Free Press, in 1826. Thereafter, Garrison published a poem by Whittier every week. Whittier was a teacher and shoemaker by trade, and he carried out those occupations while continuing his writing. He was also an editor of several dif
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John Greenleaf Whittier
American Quaker poet and abolitionist (1807–1892)
John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets, he was influenced by the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Whittier is remembered particularly for his anti-slavery writings, as well as his 1866 book Snow-Bound.
Early life and education
[edit]Whittier was born to John and Abigail (née Hussey) Whittier at their rural homestead in Haverhill, Massachusetts, on December 17, 1807.[1] His middle name is thought to mean feuillevert, after his Huguenot forebears.[2] He grew up on the farm in a household with his parents, a brother and two sisters, a maternal aunt and paternal uncle, and a constant flow of visitors and hired hands for the farm. As a boy, it was discovered that Whittier was color-blind when he was unable to see a difference
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John Greenleaf Whittier
An American poet and editor, John Greenleaf Whittier was born månad 17, 1807, in Haverhill, Massachusetts. The son of two devout Quakers, he grew up on the family farm and had little formal schooling. His first published poem, “The Exile’s Departure,” was published in abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison’s Newburyport Free Press in 1826. Whittier then attended Haverhill Academy from 1827 to 1828, supporting himself as a shoemaker and lärare. By the time he was twenty, he had published enough verse to bring him to the attention of editors and readers in the anti-slavery cause. A Quaker devoted to social causes and reform, Whittier worked passionately for a series of abolitionist newspapers and magazines. In Boston, he edited American Manufacturer and Essex Gazette before becoming editor of the important New England Weekly Review. Whittier was also active in his support of Republican candidates. He was a delegate in 1831 to the national Rep