Lucy Parsons Radical and Anarchist, IWW Founder

Lucy Parsons (about March 1853? - March 7, 1942) was an early socialist activist of color. She was a founder of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW, the Wobblies), the widow of executed Haymarket Eight figure, Albert Parsons, and a  writer and speaker.  As an anarchist and radical organizer, she was associated with many of the social movements of her time.   Origins Lucy Parsons origins are not documented, and she told different stories about her background so its difficult to sort fact from myth. Lucy was probably born a slave, though she denied any African heritage, claiming only Native American and Mexican ancestry. Her name before marriage to Albert Parsons was Lucy Gonzalez. She may have been married before 1871 to Oliver Gathing. Albert Parsons In 1871, the dark-skinned Lucy Parsons married Albert Parsons, a white Texan and former Confederate soldier who had become a radical Republican after the Civil War. Ku Klux Klan presence in Texas was strong, and dangerous for anyone in an interracial marriage, so the couple moved to Chicago in 1873. Socialism in Chicago In Chicago, Lucy and Albert Parsons lived in a poor community and became involved in the Social Democratic Party, associated with Marxist socialism. When that organization folded, they joined the Workingmens Party of the United States (WPUSA, known after 1892 as the Socialist Labor Party, or SLP). The Chicago chapter met in the Parsons home. Lucy Parsons began her career as a writer and lecturer, writing for the WPUSAs paper, the Socialist, and speaking for the WPUSA and the Working Womens Union. Lucy Parsons and her husband Albert left the WPUSA in the 1880s and joined an anarchist organization, the International Working Peoples Association (IWPA), believing that violence was necessary for working people to overthrow capitalism, and for racism to be ended. Haymarket In May, 1886, both Lucy Parsons and Albert Parsons were leaders of a strike in Chicago for an eight-hour work day. The strike ended in violence and eight of the anarchists were arrested, including Albert Parsons. They were accused of responsibility for a bomb which killed four police officers, though witnesses testified that none of the eight threw the bomb. The strike came to be called the Haymarket Riot. Lucy Parsons was a leader in the efforts to defend the Haymarket Eight but Albert Parsons was among the four who were executed. Their daughter died shortly after. Lucy Parsons Later Activism She started a paper, Freedom, in 1892, and continued writing, speaking, and organizing. She worked with, among others, Elizabeth Gurley Flynn. In 1905 Lucy Parsons was among those who founded the Industrial Workers of the World (Wobblies) with others including Mother Jones, starting an IWW newspaper in Chicago. In 1914 Lucy Parsons led protests in San Francisco, and in 1915 organized demonstrations around hunger that brought together Chicagos Hull House and Jane Addams, the Socialist Party, and the American Federation of Labor. Lucy Parsons may have joined the Communist Party in 1939 (Gale Ahrens disputes this common claim). She died in a house fire in 1942 in Chicago. Government agents searched her home after the fire and removed many of her papers. More About Lucy Parsons Also known as:  Lucy Gonzà ¡lez Parson, Lucy Gonzalez Parson, Lucy Gonzà ¡lez, Lucy Gonzalez, Lucy Waller Background, Family: Parents: unknownPossibly born a slave on a plantation in Texas (she denied having African heritage) Marriage, Children: Husband: Albert Parsons (married 1871; printer; former Confederate soldier; radical Republican, later labor union activist and socialist and anarchist)Children: Albert Richard (1879-?) and Lula Eda (1881-1889)May also have been married to Oliver Gathing before her marriage to Albert Parsons Selected Lucy Parsons Quotations †¢ Let us sink such differences as nationality, religion, politics, and set our eyes eternally and forever toward the rising star of the industrial republic of labor. †¢ The involuntary aspiration born in man to make the most of ones self, to be loved and appreciated by ones fellow-beings, to make the world better for having lived in it, will urge him on the nobler deeds than ever the sordid and selfish incentive of material gain has done. †¢ There is an innate spring of healthy action in every human being who has not been crushed and pinched by poverty and drudgery from before his birth, that impels him onward and upward. †¢ We are the slaves of slaves. We are exploited more ruthlessly than men. †¢ Anarchism has but one infallible, unchangeable motto, Freedom. Freedom to discover any truth, freedom to develop, to live naturally and fully. †¢ Anarchists know that a long period of education must precede any great fundamental change in society, hence they do not believe in vote begging, nor political campaigns, but rather in the development of self-thinking individuals. †¢ Never be deceived that the rich will permit you to vote away their wealth. †¢ Strike not for a few cents more an hour, because the price of living will be raised faster still, but strike for all you earn, be content with nothing less. †¢ Concentrated power can be always wielded in the interest of the few and at the expense of the many. Government in its last analysis is this power reduced to a science. Governments never lead; they follow progress. When the prison, stake or scaffold can no longer silence the voice of the protesting minority, progress moves on a step, but not until then. †¢ Let every dirty, lousy tramp arm himself with a revolver or knife on the steps of the palace of the rich and stab or shoot their owners as they come out. Let us kill them without mercy, and let it be a war of extermination and without pity †¢ You are not absolutely defenseless. For the torch of the incendiary, which has been known with impunity, cannot be wrested from you. †¢ If, in the present chaotic and shameful struggle for existence, when organized society offers a premium on greed, cruelty, and deceit, men can be found who stand aloof and almost alone in their determination to work for good rather than gold, who suffer want and persecution rather than desert principle, who can bravely walk to the scaffold for the good they can do humanity, what may we expect from men when freed from the grinding necessity of selling the better part of themselves for bread? †¢ So many able writers have shown that the unjust institutions which work so much misery and suffering to the masses have their root in governments, and owe their whole existence to the power derived from government we cannot help but believe that were every law, every title deed, every court, and every police officer or soldier abolished tomorrow with one sweep, we would be better off than now. †¢ Oh, Misery, I have drunk thy cup of sorrow to its dregs, but I am still a rebel. †¢Ã‚  Chicago Police Department description of Lucy Parsons:  More dangerous than a thousand rioters... Source Ashbaugh, Carolyn. Lucy Parsons, American Revolutionary. 1976.

Health, Social, And Nutrition Survey - 1052 Words

Health-seeking behaviors can be conceptualized in two approaches. The first approach refers to the utilization of existing healthcare systems by individuals of a population. The second approach refers to the examination of the factors that impact people in making â€Å"healthy† choices in regards to lifestyle behaviors or the utilization of medical care (Choudhury, Arjumand Piwoo, 1997). The observe patterns in health-seeking behaviors related to HIV/AIDS among MSM examined in the studies include engagement in risky sexual behavior, voluntary HIV testing, condom use, and the utilization of HIV treatment and related health services if HIV positive. In their study, Cheng, Gipson, Perez Cochran (2014) used data from the 2005 Cebu Longitudinal Health and Nutrition Survey (CLHNS), a longitudinal study conducted in metro Cebu, to compare sexually experienced young adults who reported same-sex behaviors and those who did not. Using a single-stage cluster method, out of a total of 1,112 sexually experienced Filipino young adults, they found 22% of male young adults reported same-sex behavior and 19.4% reported a history of same-sex contact and/or romantic relationships (Cheng, Gipson, Perez Cochran, 2014). This is significantly more than the 4.4% and 2.3% of female young adults who reported same-sex behavior and a history of same-sex contact and/or romantic relationships, respectively. Age of initial sexual experience and the number of sexual partners are two factors related toShow MoreRelatedEssay about Nutrition in Public Health 1165 Words   |  5 PagesNutrition in public health: Objectives: Ensure that students acquire specific knowledge for the analysis of food and nutrition problems in population groups. Identify the causal factors of the state of nutrition in communities. 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Malnutrition increases theRead MoreEffects Of Protein Energy Malnutrition On Children And Children1708 Words   |  7 Pages decreasing maternal mortality rates, nutrition education and healthy foods in the different countries health care centers and schools. 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Food security is present when all people, at all times, have physical, social and economic access to sufficient, safe and healthy food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for a healthy lifestyle.1 So, food insecurity is when this source of healthy nutritious food is limited or unattainable, causing food deprivation and malnutrition.1 Food insecurity is a phenomenon

Crucible Essay Free Essays

Even after doing those things the harassers still end up at fault for whatever happened to them, but despite all that, they were able to regain their lost integrity. In Miller’s play it can be seen that characters were given the opportunity to w hat was right which they used, however it was not an easy for them to make the decisive on of telling the truth. An example of this is when John Proctor refuses to sign his name on an affiliation. We will write a custom essay sample on Crucible Essay or any similar topic only for you Order Now The reason Proctor refuses to do so is because he values his reputation and more than anything he wants to keep his good name. Because it is my name! Because cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on t he feet of them that hang! How may live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave my name. † (Act 4 page 143. ) In this quote it is seen that Proctor is trying hard to keep his name clean, and while doing so he does not care about what the future consequences would be. Simi Larry Reverend Hale has citizens who look up to him which places him as a higher authority. Pray you, someone take these† (Act 1 page 36. Here it is showed that Hale possesses p rower over the tizzies and that he is not concerned about the others in town. However tow awards the end both characters lose whatever power they had which causes them to be true to 20th errs and tell the truth and earn back their lost integrity. When the tim e came Proctor realized he en deed to redeem himself. â€Å"A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything, know it no w. I beg you, sir, I beg you see her what she is†¦ She thinks to dance with me on my wife’s grave ! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat. But it is a whore’s vengeance†¦ (Act 3 page 110. ) Here Proctor finally admits y o performing adultery and admits to his past mistakes, even though it has cosseted him his life e. Also Hale does the same, he admits to his mistakes and comes out with whatever truth was aft to be told. â€Å"Let you not mistake your duty as I mistook my own. † (Act 4 page 132. ) Hale after a long time finally admits that he misused his power and he regains his lost integrity while e trying to save the lives of innocent people. Also throughout the play it can be seen that there is change between character s whether it be the character changing themselves or helping other characters change. A good example of this would be from the beginning of the play, when it is seen that Proctor is did slowly to his wife Elizabeth. â€Å"Baby, I may think of you softly from time to time. But will cut off my hand before I’ll ever reach for you again. Wipe it out of mind. We never touched, Baby† (A CT 1 page 23). This here shows that Proctor is unfaithful to his wife and that he is also trying to erase the past and keep the truth about his adultery in the dark. In contrast while Proctor w s unfaithful, Hale was being motivated by wrongdoings. â€Å"Why is it all simple. I come to do the devil’s work. I come to counsel Christians they should belie themselves. There is blood on my head. Can you see the blood on my head† (Act 4 page 131). Here Hale is showing that he has been motivated by the devil to do wrong things. He here believes that he is doing the devil’s w ark. Never the less even after displaying such hideous traits both character’s managed to chi anger themselves and again earn back any lost integrity. How to cite Crucible Essay, Essays

Medical Technology free essay sample

One of the most recently trending topics is how efficient the use of technology is. We will write a custom essay sample on Medical Technology or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Many people suggest that today’s technology can potentially bring downfalls to this generation’s youth by addicting them into depending on it. What these people are forgetting to ask themselves is, â€Å"What benefits could today’s technology potentially bring? † Multiple correct answers to this question in a view that affects my life are well-explained in â€Å"Google Glass’s Efficient Applications in the ER† from Technology News on kgw. com. The article examines the effectiveness of Google’s newest invention, Google Glass, from a medical point of view. Since Google Glass has proven to be helpful in the emergency room, this concept affects my life due to my set-in-stone plan to pursue a career in the medical field. Google Glass’s â€Å"apps† help provide better patient care, which also explains to technology oppositionists just how efficient the use of technology is. The apps that Google Glass is suited with are composed of hands-free features. These features include taking pictures and recording video. In addition, you are able to share these pictures and videos via message or even live-stream. To send a message to a recipient, all the user needs to do is speak to Glass. Glass even allows you to search the internet for whatever is on your mind. The new technology even allows its user to translate foreign words and phrases into your own language. Lastly, and least importantly, another key feature of this new technology is its GPS navigational system. All of these hands-free features that Google Glass provides can be used in more than just a practical way (â€Å"Google†). When doctors give care to their patients, their care could possibly be relying on technology that assists the doctor. In some cases, this technology could be something as little as a stethoscope. Other times, the technology that doctors rely on could be something huge and complex, such as a computer. Either way, it is clear that a doctor’s use of technology is for better and more efficient patient care. With that in mind, Google Glass’s hands-free features show potential to implement Glass as a new, global, medical technology. Each feature that Glass is equipped with (beside the handy GPS navigational system) can be proven to assist doctors, allowing them to care for patients more freely (â€Å"Google†). Google Glass’s ability to take pictures and record videos, along with being able to share these pictures and videos, serves a purpose to medical workers by making their job more informational. For example, a first-responder in an emergency situation can capture what is happening during the scene. The first-responder’s visual description comes with its own visual display. When relayed to further patient care such as doctors or surgeons, this kind of information can be crucial to the patient’s survival. This information helps doctors prepare for treatment and know what to expect. The first-responder’s use of Google Glass informs the further patient care, educating them in a way (â€Å"Google†). Speaking of education, Glass’s ability to share and live-stream its pictures and videos can be used in an educational aspect. Descriptive pictures of medical content can be sent to an instructional doctor’s class, allowing his or her students to maximize the information received. Medical teachings, such as surgery, basic life support, extractions, extrications, etc. can be recorded and shared between pupils to be reviewed, re-watched, studied, etc (â€Å"Google†). This use of Glass can be applied to get a better understanding of how to master medical treatments. Mastering these techniques entitles you as a credible physician with credible experience. Most questions today are no longer answered by taking the time to find a credible source with a credible answer. The people who have these questions resort to searching the internet for a quick answer instead. In order to comply with these people, Google Glass has implemented its search engine into its features. To a doctor, this implement is useful by being able to find quick answers to simple questions while caring for a patient. For example, the doctor may ask Glass, â€Å"What allergic reactions can occur by latex? † in order to answer a patient’s question regarding his or her allergies. A hands-free search engine can also be used to bring up nearby hospitals, pharmacies, fire stations, etc. Glass’s ability to do this saves valuable time that could be used to save lives (â€Å"Google†). Glass’s last notable feature that applies in the emergency room is the ability to translate foreign words or phrases into the user’s own language. This can prove to be helpful in situations where the patient has a heavy accent, does not speak your language very well, or does not speak your language at all. In addition to translating foreign language into your own desired language, you can do the inverse. In order to make the patient feel more at home, more relaxed, and more cared for, doctors could now translate what they have to say into the foreign language the patient uses. Doing this would increase the number of doctors globally, since finding doctors who speak specific languages would be a thing of the past (â€Å"Google†). As a student who sees his future in the medical field, this article is of great importance to me. Seeing what applications are used in the emergency room increases my knowledge on the topic and gives me a better idea of what to expect in the future. I believe that technology plays a major role in the medical field, but I also believe that technology plays a major role in life in general. Google Glass’s features that are not meant for any specific area of use are practical. The use of these features and the outcomes they bring depend on how efficient you believe technology really is. So rather than bashing this new-coming technology as a curse on our youth, we should start to see it as a prosperous opportunity to serve a greater purpose in life.

Walt Whitman and the Civil War

Walt Whitman and the Civil War The poet Walt Whitman wrote about the Civil War extensively.  His heartfelt observation of life in wartime Washington made its way into poems, and he also wrote articles for newspapers and a number of notebook entries only published decades later. He had worked for years as a journalist, yet Whitman did not cover  the conflict as a regular newspaper correspondent. His role as an eyewitness to the conflict was unplanned. When a newspaper casualty list indicated that his brother serving in a New York regiment had been wounded in late 1862, Whitman traveled to Virginia to find him. Whitmans brother George had only been slightly wounded. But the experience of seeing army hospitals made a deep impression, and Whitman felt compelled to move from Brooklyn to Washington to become involved with the Union war effort as a hospital volunteer. After securing a job as a government clerk, Whitman spent his off-duty hours visiting hospital wards filled with soldiers, comforting the wounded and the sick. In Washington, Whitman was also perfectly positioned to observe the workings of the government, movements of troops, and the daily comings and goings of a man he greatly admired, President Abraham Lincoln. At times Whitman would contribute articles to newspapers, such as a detailed report of the scene at Lincoln’s second inaugural address. But Whitman’s experience as a witness to the war was mostly important as an inspiration for poetry. A collection of poems titled Drum Taps, was published after the war as a book. The poems contained in it ultimately appeared as an appendix to later editions of Whitmans masterpiece, Leaves of Grass. Family Ties to the War During the 1840s and 1850s, Whitman had been following politics in America closely. Working as a journalist in New York City, he no doubt followed the national debate over the greatest issue of the time, slavery. Whitman became a supporter of Lincoln during the 1860 presidential campaign. He also saw Lincoln speak from a hotel window in early 1861, when the president-elect passed through New York City on the way to his first inauguration. When Fort Sumter was attacked in April 1861 Whitman was outraged. In 1861, when Lincoln called for volunteers to defend the Union, Whitman’s brother George enlisted in the 51st New York Volunteer Infantry. He would serve for the entire war, eventually earning an officer’s rank, and would fight at Antietam, Fredericksburg, and other battles. Following the slaughter at Fredericksburg, Walt Whitman was reading casualty reports in the New York Tribune and saw what he believed to be a misspelled rendering of his brother’s name. Fearing that George had been wounded, Whitman traveled southward to Washington. Unable to find his brother at military hospitals where he inquired, he traveled to the front in Virginia, where he discovered that George had only been very slightly wounded. While at Falmouth, Virginia, Walt Whitman saw a horrifying sight beside a field hospital, a pile of amputated limbs. He came to empathize with the intense suffering of wounded soldiers, and during two weeks in December 1862, he spent visiting his brother he resolved to begin helping in military hospitals. Work as a Civil War Nurse Wartime Washington contained a number of military hospitals which took in thousands of wounded and ill soldiers. Whitman moved to the city in early 1863, taking a job as a government clerk. He began making the rounds in hospitals, consoling the patients and distributing writing paper, newspapers, and treats such as fruits and candy. From 1863 to the spring of 1865 Whitman spent time with hundreds, if not thousands, of soldiers. He helped them write letters home. And he wrote many letters to his friends and relatives about his experiences. Whitman later said that being around the suffering soldiers had been beneficial to him, as it somehow restored his own faith in humanity. Many of the ideas in his poetry, about the nobility of common people, and the democratic ideals of America, he saw reflected in the wounded soldiers who had been farmers and factory workers. Mentions in Poetry The poetry Whitman wrote had always been inspired by the changing world around him, and so his eyewitness experience of the Civil War naturally began to infuse new poems. Before the war, he had issued three editions of Leaves of Grass. But he saw fit to issue an entirely new book of poems, which he called Drum Taps. The printing of Drum Taps began in New York City in the spring of 1865, as the war was winding down. But then the assassination  of Abraham Lincoln prompted Whitman to postpone publication so he could include material about Lincoln and his passing. In the summer of 1865, after the war’s end, he wrote two poems inspired by Lincoln’s death, â€Å"When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d† and â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† Both poems were included in Drum Taps, which was published in the fall of 1865. The entirety of Drum Taps was added to later editions of Leaves of Grass.

Walt Whitman and the Civil War

Walt Whitman and the Civil War The poet Walt Whitman wrote about the Civil War extensively.  His heartfelt observation of life in wartime Washington made its way into poems, and he also wrote articles for newspapers and a number of notebook entries only published decades later. He had worked for years as a journalist, yet Whitman did not cover  the conflict as a regular newspaper correspondent. His role as an eyewitness to the conflict was unplanned. When a newspaper casualty list indicated that his brother serving in a New York regiment had been wounded in late 1862, Whitman traveled to Virginia to find him. Whitmans brother George had only been slightly wounded. But the experience of seeing army hospitals made a deep impression, and Whitman felt compelled to move from Brooklyn to Washington to become involved with the Union war effort as a hospital volunteer. After securing a job as a government clerk, Whitman spent his off-duty hours visiting hospital wards filled with soldiers, comforting the wounded and the sick. In Washington, Whitman was also perfectly positioned to observe the workings of the government, movements of troops, and the daily comings and goings of a man he greatly admired, President Abraham Lincoln. At times Whitman would contribute articles to newspapers, such as a detailed report of the scene at Lincoln’s second inaugural address. But Whitman’s experience as a witness to the war was mostly important as an inspiration for poetry. A collection of poems titled Drum Taps, was published after the war as a book. The poems contained in it ultimately appeared as an appendix to later editions of Whitmans masterpiece, Leaves of Grass. Family Ties to the War During the 1840s and 1850s, Whitman had been following politics in America closely. Working as a journalist in New York City, he no doubt followed the national debate over the greatest issue of the time, slavery. Whitman became a supporter of Lincoln during the 1860 presidential campaign. He also saw Lincoln speak from a hotel window in early 1861, when the president-elect passed through New York City on the way to his first inauguration. When Fort Sumter was attacked in April 1861 Whitman was outraged. In 1861, when Lincoln called for volunteers to defend the Union, Whitman’s brother George enlisted in the 51st New York Volunteer Infantry. He would serve for the entire war, eventually earning an officer’s rank, and would fight at Antietam, Fredericksburg, and other battles. Following the slaughter at Fredericksburg, Walt Whitman was reading casualty reports in the New York Tribune and saw what he believed to be a misspelled rendering of his brother’s name. Fearing that George had been wounded, Whitman traveled southward to Washington. Unable to find his brother at military hospitals where he inquired, he traveled to the front in Virginia, where he discovered that George had only been very slightly wounded. While at Falmouth, Virginia, Walt Whitman saw a horrifying sight beside a field hospital, a pile of amputated limbs. He came to empathize with the intense suffering of wounded soldiers, and during two weeks in December 1862, he spent visiting his brother he resolved to begin helping in military hospitals. Work as a Civil War Nurse Wartime Washington contained a number of military hospitals which took in thousands of wounded and ill soldiers. Whitman moved to the city in early 1863, taking a job as a government clerk. He began making the rounds in hospitals, consoling the patients and distributing writing paper, newspapers, and treats such as fruits and candy. From 1863 to the spring of 1865 Whitman spent time with hundreds, if not thousands, of soldiers. He helped them write letters home. And he wrote many letters to his friends and relatives about his experiences. Whitman later said that being around the suffering soldiers had been beneficial to him, as it somehow restored his own faith in humanity. Many of the ideas in his poetry, about the nobility of common people, and the democratic ideals of America, he saw reflected in the wounded soldiers who had been farmers and factory workers. Mentions in Poetry The poetry Whitman wrote had always been inspired by the changing world around him, and so his eyewitness experience of the Civil War naturally began to infuse new poems. Before the war, he had issued three editions of Leaves of Grass. But he saw fit to issue an entirely new book of poems, which he called Drum Taps. The printing of Drum Taps began in New York City in the spring of 1865, as the war was winding down. But then the assassination  of Abraham Lincoln prompted Whitman to postpone publication so he could include material about Lincoln and his passing. In the summer of 1865, after the war’s end, he wrote two poems inspired by Lincoln’s death, â€Å"When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d† and â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† Both poems were included in Drum Taps, which was published in the fall of 1865. The entirety of Drum Taps was added to later editions of Leaves of Grass.

Walt Whitman and the Civil War

Walt Whitman and the Civil War The poet Walt Whitman wrote about the Civil War extensively.  His heartfelt observation of life in wartime Washington made its way into poems, and he also wrote articles for newspapers and a number of notebook entries only published decades later. He had worked for years as a journalist, yet Whitman did not cover  the conflict as a regular newspaper correspondent. His role as an eyewitness to the conflict was unplanned. When a newspaper casualty list indicated that his brother serving in a New York regiment had been wounded in late 1862, Whitman traveled to Virginia to find him. Whitmans brother George had only been slightly wounded. But the experience of seeing army hospitals made a deep impression, and Whitman felt compelled to move from Brooklyn to Washington to become involved with the Union war effort as a hospital volunteer. After securing a job as a government clerk, Whitman spent his off-duty hours visiting hospital wards filled with soldiers, comforting the wounded and the sick. In Washington, Whitman was also perfectly positioned to observe the workings of the government, movements of troops, and the daily comings and goings of a man he greatly admired, President Abraham Lincoln. At times Whitman would contribute articles to newspapers, such as a detailed report of the scene at Lincoln’s second inaugural address. But Whitman’s experience as a witness to the war was mostly important as an inspiration for poetry. A collection of poems titled Drum Taps, was published after the war as a book. The poems contained in it ultimately appeared as an appendix to later editions of Whitmans masterpiece, Leaves of Grass. Family Ties to the War During the 1840s and 1850s, Whitman had been following politics in America closely. Working as a journalist in New York City, he no doubt followed the national debate over the greatest issue of the time, slavery. Whitman became a supporter of Lincoln during the 1860 presidential campaign. He also saw Lincoln speak from a hotel window in early 1861, when the president-elect passed through New York City on the way to his first inauguration. When Fort Sumter was attacked in April 1861 Whitman was outraged. In 1861, when Lincoln called for volunteers to defend the Union, Whitman’s brother George enlisted in the 51st New York Volunteer Infantry. He would serve for the entire war, eventually earning an officer’s rank, and would fight at Antietam, Fredericksburg, and other battles. Following the slaughter at Fredericksburg, Walt Whitman was reading casualty reports in the New York Tribune and saw what he believed to be a misspelled rendering of his brother’s name. Fearing that George had been wounded, Whitman traveled southward to Washington. Unable to find his brother at military hospitals where he inquired, he traveled to the front in Virginia, where he discovered that George had only been very slightly wounded. While at Falmouth, Virginia, Walt Whitman saw a horrifying sight beside a field hospital, a pile of amputated limbs. He came to empathize with the intense suffering of wounded soldiers, and during two weeks in December 1862, he spent visiting his brother he resolved to begin helping in military hospitals. Work as a Civil War Nurse Wartime Washington contained a number of military hospitals which took in thousands of wounded and ill soldiers. Whitman moved to the city in early 1863, taking a job as a government clerk. He began making the rounds in hospitals, consoling the patients and distributing writing paper, newspapers, and treats such as fruits and candy. From 1863 to the spring of 1865 Whitman spent time with hundreds, if not thousands, of soldiers. He helped them write letters home. And he wrote many letters to his friends and relatives about his experiences. Whitman later said that being around the suffering soldiers had been beneficial to him, as it somehow restored his own faith in humanity. Many of the ideas in his poetry, about the nobility of common people, and the democratic ideals of America, he saw reflected in the wounded soldiers who had been farmers and factory workers. Mentions in Poetry The poetry Whitman wrote had always been inspired by the changing world around him, and so his eyewitness experience of the Civil War naturally began to infuse new poems. Before the war, he had issued three editions of Leaves of Grass. But he saw fit to issue an entirely new book of poems, which he called Drum Taps. The printing of Drum Taps began in New York City in the spring of 1865, as the war was winding down. But then the assassination  of Abraham Lincoln prompted Whitman to postpone publication so he could include material about Lincoln and his passing. In the summer of 1865, after the war’s end, he wrote two poems inspired by Lincoln’s death, â€Å"When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d† and â€Å"O Captain! My Captain!† Both poems were included in Drum Taps, which was published in the fall of 1865. The entirety of Drum Taps was added to later editions of Leaves of Grass.