United Statesappears in Inscriptions, Calamus

The United States became officially independent of Britain in 1776. Although Walt Whitman was born more than four decades later, the poet often associated himself with the birth of a great country. Whitman displayed immense pride in the United States and showed a great deal of reverence for its presidents and military. Whitman was fond of comparing the United States to other countries, in particular those with ancient history, such as Ireland, India, and Spain.

As a vagabond, Whitman spent a great deal of time exploring the country and all it has to offer. Since a great deal of the country was still unsettled when Whitman was in his prime in the 1830s, there was a great deal of untamed wilderness and beauty, particularly throughout the Prairie States and the West Coast and Pacific Ocean. No matter where Whitman traveled, he found a great...