The Copybook: Readings in history and literature

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A Right and a Duty by Daniel Webster

The tighter the US Government’s stranglehold on dissent grew, the harder Daniel Webster fought for freedom of speech.

1

Blind Guide by William Wirt

William Wirt recalls an overpowering sermon from a blind man in a little wooden chapel.

2

Double Standards by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson wondered why New Yorkers elected to Congress the kind of man they would turn out of their own homes.

3

To the Last I Grapple With Thee by Herman Melville

Ahab, his mind broken by an obsession, at last confronts the enemy he has hunted so long.

4

Good Morning, Mr Horse by Nathaniel Hawthorne

A young Nathaniel Hawthorne recalls a confidential conversation with a tired old horse.

5

‘If They Can Stand It I Can’ by Abraham Lincoln

However loud his critics shouted their disapproval, Abraham Lincoln would neither deprive them of free speech nor change his opinions.

6

How I Learnt to Write by Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin recalls the disciplines he put himself through on the way to becoming one of America’s literary giants.

American Literature