William Cullen Bryant
(1794–1887)

During William Cullen Bryant's long life, America emerged from its infancy to become a large and powerful nation, and American literature blossomed, earning its place among the world's literature. As a journalist and political activist, Bryant fought to make sure that industrialization and rapid growth did not obscure the democratic values and principles upon which the country was built. As a poet, Byrant helped to establish an American literary tradition by producing a number of poems that could be matched against the work of the European poets of his day.

Bryant, a descendent of idealistic Puritans, was born in a rural area in western Massachusetts. His father, a country doctor with a deep interest in nature, encouraged him to explore the surrounding wilderness. Bryant's father also taught his son Greek and Latin and urged him to become an avid reader. As a boy he read the work of eighteenth-century English poets, and during his teens he developed a strong interest in the work of the nineteenth-century English Romantic poets. Bryant began writing poetry at the age of nine, and at 19 he wrote the first version of "Thanatopsis," his most famous poem. When "Thanatopsis" was published in the North American Review in 1817, it was greeted with great enthusiasm. In spite of the poem's success, however, Bryant decided to revise it several years later.

Finding that pursuing a full-time career as a poet was economically impossible, Bryant earned a law degree and practiced law for ten years, continuing to write poetry in his spare time. In 1825, Bryant moved to New York City and began a new career as a journalist. By 1829, he had become editor-in-chief and part owner of the New York Evening Post, one of the most highly regarded newspapers in the country. In this position Bryant became an influential and enthusiastic defender of human rights and personal freedoms. He supported such causes as women's rights, freedom of speech and religion, and the abolition of slavery.

Though Bryant did not produce a great quantity of poetry, he was the first American poet to win worldwide critical acclaim. Like the European poets of his day, Bryant explored the connection between nature and humanity in his poetry. His work played a major role in establishing the Romantic movement in American literature and influenced the next generation of American poets.

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