Walt Whitman's experiences visiting Civil War hospitals and caring for wounded soldiers had a profound impact on his life and writing. He saw firsthand the human cost of the war, including the amputated limbs and unidentified dead. This experience inspired his poetry, particularly in his book Drum Taps, which explored themes of grief, mourning, and the loss of life during the war. [... more]

Ralph Waldo Emerson's speech at Harvard in 1837 challenged the rationalism of Harvard and its academicism, calling for Americans to develop their own voices and culture. This movement influenced other writers, including Henry David Thoreau, who lived alone in a cabin on Walden Pond and wrote the masterpiece 'Walden.' Nathaniel Hawthorne, influenced by Emerson, wrote 'The Scarlet Letter,' a rebuke of the optimism of his Concord allies. Herman Melville's 'Moby Dick' was a metaphysical exploration, and Walt Whitman's poetry celebrated the common man and the open road, reflecting the spirit of the age of Andrew Jackson. [... more]

Marshall Field's life and career as a retail innovator and entrepreneur are explored, from his humble beginnings on a Massachusetts farm to his rise as a successful businessman and founder of the iconic Marshall Field's department store in Chicago. Meanwhile, Walt Whitman's experiences as a poet and volunteer during the American Civil War are also highlighted, including his visits to hospitals and his writings about the war and its impact on soldiers and civilians. [... more]