William Cullen Bryant, often referred to as the Father of American Poetry, was born on November 3, 1794 in Cummington, Massachusetts to Dr. Peter and Sarah Bryant. Both sides of his family had connections to early New England history. His father’s ancestors had arrived in 1632, and his mother’s family had traced their lineage back to Mayflower colonists John Alden and Priscilla Mullins.
William was a precocious child having learned the alphabet by the time he was sixteen months old and having begun to write poetry by the time he was nine. When Bryant was fourteen, his pamphlet length poem The Embargo, which his father had published, gained critical attention. The poem was a political satire aimed at President Jefferson’s attempt, during the Napoleonic Wars, to obtain concessions
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Citation: Loges, Max Lester. "William Cullen Bryant". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 07 November 2019 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=622, accessed 18 April 2024.]
