Martin Van Buren had recently been inaugurated as president, the day after President Andrew Jackson and Congress recognized the new Republic of Texas. The Whigs were establishing themselves as a new political party, having held their first national convention in Pennsylvania. Business conditions were unsettled, following the Panic of 1837 in which numerous banks had failed.
On July 4, 1837, a large group gathered in Concord, Massachusetts to commemorate the Battle of Lexington and Concordin 1775, the Declaration of Independence in 1776, and the American Revolution (1775-1783). The Concord Battle Monument Committee has commissioned a stone obelisk for the occasion, along with a poem by Ralph Waldo Emerson(1803-1882). The monument was unveiled, and Emerson read his poem, originally entitled “Hymn: Sung at the Completion of the Concord Monument.”
To continue reading, please see my post today at Tweetspeak Poetry.
Illustration: Ralph Waldo Emerson in the 1830s.
Some Tuesday Readings
How well do you know your American History? – CNN Independence Day Quiz.
Down with Diversocracy – and Meritocracy – Sohrab Ahmari at Compact Magazine.
Hark, I Hear the Harps Eternal – Appalachian Sketches, Gloriae Dei Cantores.
Adams Mountain – poem by Leland James at Society of Classical Poets.
Books for Celebrating America, the Beautiful (for children) – Kelly Keller at Story Warren.
Through the Modern Camera Lens: Gettysburg Battlefield – Chris Heisey at Emerging Civil War.
Close Reading the Declaration of Independence – Peggy Rosenthal at Slant Books.
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