On this episode of Our American Stories in December Walt Whitman set out for Virginia searching for his brother who had been wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg He found him alive with only a minor wound But outside a field hospital Whitman encountered something he would never forget a heap of amputated arms legs and other human remains For the poet who had once written that the human body was sacred the Civil War suddenly became horrifyingly real Whitman soon began spending his days in Washington's military hospitals bringing food and small gifts writing letters listening and comforting wounded [... more]

The story of America's cultural and artistic independence from Europe, led by thinkers and writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Walt Whitman, who sought to forge a distinctly American voice and identity through their works. [... more]

Walt Whitman's experience during the American Civil War had a profound impact on his life and writing. He visited hospitals, wrote about the soldiers, and provided companionship to those in need. Meanwhile, human traffickers exploit vulnerabilities in everyday moments, and a water crisis affects Navajo families. In other stories, fantasy football can be exhausting, and a sleep aid is recommended to help with insomnia. [... more]

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]