Call Number:

MSS.063

Repository:

Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

Extent:

6 linear ft. (11 boxes)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

[Indicate the cited item or series here], [Indicate the cited item or series here], MSS 063/John Greenleaf Whittier Manuscript Collection, Friends Historical Library of Swarthmore College

Date:

1708-1896 (inclusive)

Creator:

Whittier, John Greenleaf, 1807-1892

Abstract:

John Greenleaf Whittier was a New England Quaker poet, journalist, and abolitionist. His poetry, inspired by his religious and moral beliefs, was well regarded during his lifetime, and he was respected by both Orthodox and Hicksite Quakers. The collection contains Whittier correspondence, manuscript poetry, books, photographs and miscellaneous material.

John Greenleaf Whittier was born December 17, 1807, in Haverhill, Massachusetts. He was the son of John Whittier and Abigail Hussey Whittier, Quaker farmers, and began to write poetry at the age of fourteen. William Lloyd Garrison published Whittier's first poem in 1826 and persuaded his parents to send him to Haverhill Academy for two terms. His poetry, influenced by Byron, Burns, and Wadsworth, was well-received, and he also edited several New England newspapers and served one term in the Massachusetts legislature.

In 1833, Whittier published a tract proposing immediate and unconditional emancipation of enslaved people. He became a leading abolitionist, writing poems and essays supporting anti-slavery, lecturing, and editing newspapers. Believing that the anti-slavery movement needed a political vehicle, he helped found the Liberty Party in 1839 and supported the efforts of Massachusetts legislators to influence decisions in Washington, D.C.

Poor health forced his retirement after 1840 to a house in Amesbury, Mass., where his poetry focused on New England rural life and traditions. In particular, his poems "Snow Bound" and "Tent on the Beach" were critical and financial successes, and he was widely accepted as a major American poet. His poetry focused on religious and moral themes, but was not encumbered by theological issues; he appealed to both Orthodox and Hicksite Quakers, combining Quaker quietism with a respect for the Bible. In 1881, he was awarded an LL.D. from Harvard, and he died September 7, 1892.

John Greenleaf Whittier was a Quaker poet, journalist, and abolitionist. A major figure in the anti-slavery cause, his correspondents include William Lloyd Garrison, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Julia Ward Howe, and Lydia Maria Child. The bulk of the collection is correspondence. A closely related collection in Friends Historical Library, the John Greenleaf Whittier Research Papers compiled by C. Marshall Taylor, contains copies and transcripts of Whittier papers not held by Friends Historical Library.

Organized in five series:

1. Correspondence, arranged chronologically
2. Letters to Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward
3. Poetry
4. Miscellaneous
5. Freitchie Album