Walt Whitman lived on the east coast of the United States for his entire 72 years. Between his birth and death years (1819-1892) many historical events happened. When he was born in the early 19th century the country was starting to push west, British aggression had cooled down and the country was free to expand. The nation had also passed the Indian Removal Act, so he saw the American Indians removed from their homes and relocated to new reservations. He mourned the death of Lincoln in several of his poems. He saw the Civil war, the assassination of President Lincoln and the reconstruction of the country.
Early in his life the Mexican American war was taking place, this started because of the annexation of Texas into the United States, both sides claimed the territory and so they ended up going to war over it. The war lasted from 1846-1848. Only a couple decades later until one of the largest and most famous wars began in the United States.
In 1861 the Civil War began. It was a bloody encounter that took thousands of American lives. One of the most significant events that occurred around this time was the abolition of slavery. Slavery was abolished in 1862 with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, which was signed by President Abraham Lincoln. Shortly after this in 1863 the Civil War ended. The Confederate States returned to the Union after some deliberations. In 1865, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth. This was one of the greatest tragedies in the history of the United States. It made things all too clear that out nation was struggling and that emotions were still very high after the end of the war. Fortunately, we overcame these hard times and have become a proud nation again.
Below is a video showcasing images of the Civil War, they are graphic at times, but they display the horrors that the nation went through in this era.
Most people that lived in cities would work in factories. The workers were not people that had 9 to 5 shifts, they worked long miserable hours. Many of these workers were children. The laws to protect them were very minor. In 1833 there was a law passed that prevented workers under 9 years old and it limited the hours someone under 13 could work. Children could not be kids, they had to mature fast and help provide for their families.
Life in these years was difficult. None of the conveniences that many of us take for granted were not even conceived in these years.People had no free time as it was dominated by their factory jobs and the nation was in a constant struggle. What is quite possibly the most infamous war of our nations history was fought. This made people doubt if our nation would even survive. The assassination of the President was just another horrible example of the struggle that people faced in this century. The years that Walt Whitman lived were difficult. It is hard to imagine living in those kind of conditions today. His writing can be used as a medium to get a feel for what it was like back in those years.