Walt Whitman biography

Synopsis

Early Years

Poet, journalist. Called the "Bard of Democracy" and considered one of America's most influential poets, Walt Whitman was born May 31, 1819 in West Hills, Long Island, New York. The second of Walter and Louisa Whitman's eight surviving children, he grew up in a family of modest means. While earlier Whitmans had owned a large parcel of farmland, much of it had been sold off by the time young Walt was born. As a result, his father struggled through a series of attempts to recoup some of that earlier wealth, as a farmer, carpenter and real estate speculator.

Whitman's own love for America and its democracy can be at least partially attributed to his upbringing and his parents, who showed their own admiration for their country by naming Walt's younger brothers after their favorite American heroes. The names included George Washington Whitman, Thomas Jefferson Whitman, and Andrew Jackson Whitman. At the age of three, the young Walt Whitman moved with his family to Brooklyn, where his father hoped to take advantage of the economic opportunities in New York City. But his bad investments prevented him from achieving the success he craved. When Walt Whitman was 11, his father, unable to support his family completely on his own, pulled him out of school so he could work. To help put food on the table, Whitman found employment in the printing business.

His father's increasing dependence on alcohol and conspiracy-driven politics, contrasted sharply with his son's preference for a more optimistic course. "I stand for the sunny point of view," he'd say, "the joyful conclusion."

When he was 17, Whitman turned to teaching. His first job was in a one-room schoolhouse in Long Island. Whitman continued teach for another five years, when, in 1841, he set his sights on journalism. He started a weekly paper called the Long-Islander, and later returned to New York City, where he continued his newspaper career. In 1846 he became editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, a prominent newspaper.

But Whitman proved to be volatile editor, with a sharp pen and a set of opinions that didn't always align with his bosses o his readers. He backed what some considered radical positions on women's property rights, immigration, and labor issues. He lambasted the infatuation he saw among his fellow New Yorkers with certain European ways and wasn't afraid to go after the editors of other newspapers. Not surprisingly, his job tenure was often short. In a four-year stretch Whitman, was ousted from seven different newspapers.

In 1848 Whitman left New York for New Orleans where he became editor of the Crescent. It was a relatively short stay for Whitman— just three months— but it was where he saw for the first time the wickedness of slavery and the slave trade.