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55-474: Whittier College, founded in 1887, was named for the Quaker abolitionist and poet John Greenleaf Whittier . Since that time, the institution has grown into a distinctive, national liberal arts college. The college campus has about 800 students and more than 100 faculty. It emphasizes small, interactive classes led by full-time faculty members. Whittier College is a four-year liberal arts institution. Nearly half of

110-412: A bath in holy water." Later scholars and critics questioned the depth of Whittier's poetry. One was Karl Keller, who noted, "Whittier has been a writer to love, not to belabor." Whittier was particularly supportive of women writers, including Alice Cary , Phoebe Cary , Sarah Orne Jewett , Lucy Larcom , and Celia Thaxter . He was especially influential on prose writings by Jewett, with whom he shared

165-673: A belief in the moral quality of literature and an interest in New England folklore. Jewett dedicated one of her books to him and modeled several of her characters after people in Whittier's life. Whittier's family farm, known as the John Greenleaf Whittier Homestead or simply "Whittier's Birthplace", is now a historic site open to the public. His later residence in Amesbury, where he lived for 56 years,

220-563: A cause that he deemed morally correct and socially necessary. He was a founding member of the American Anti-Slavery Society and signed the Anti-Slavery Declaration of 1833, which he often considered the most significant action of his life. Whittier's political skill made him useful as a lobbyist, and his willingness to badger anti-slavery congressional leaders into joining the abolitionist cause

275-402: A motion made by John Quincy Adams . By the end of the 1830s, the unity of the abolitionist movement had begun to fracture. Whittier stuck to his belief that moral action apart from political effort was futile. He knew that success required legislative change, not merely moral suasion. That opinion alone engendered a bitter split from Garrison, and Whittier went on to become a founding member of

330-466: A new resolution that barred Congress from discussing petitions that mentioned bringing slavery to an end. Congress approved them on December 12, 1838, which became known as the "Atherton Gag"; Whittier referred to Atherton in one of his many abolition poems as "vile" by having allied himself so closely with his fellow Democrats from pro-slavery South. It was not until 1844 the House rescinded that gag rule on

385-512: A shoemaker for a time, and a deal was made to pay part of his tuition with food from the family farm. Before his second term, he earned money to cover tuition by serving as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in what is now Merrimac, Massachusetts . He attended Haverhill Academy from 1827 to 1828 and completed a high school education in only two terms. Whittier received the first substantial public praise for his work from critic John Neal via Neal's magazine The Yankee in 1828. Whittier valued

440-454: A specific theme, such as health and society, writers and writing, alumni connections, and Spanish culture. Additionally, the college's graduate program in education offers both credential and Master of Arts in education degree programs. Broadoaks Children's School – a private, non-profit demonstration school on the Whittier campus – serves as a learning laboratory for Whittier faculty and undergraduate and graduate students. Whittier Law School

495-493: Is also open to the public, and is now known as the John Greenleaf Whittier Home . Whittier's hometown of Haverhill has named many buildings and landmarks in his honor including J.G. Whittier Middle School, Greenleaf Elementary, and Whittier Regional Vocational Technical High School . Numerous other schools around the country also bear his name. The John Greenleaf Whittier Bridge , built in the style of

550-566: Is poor stuff! I like the man, but have no high opinion either of his poetry or his prose." Editor George Ripley , however, found Whittier's poetry refreshing and said it had a "stately movement of versification, grandeur of imagery, a vein of tender and solemn pathos, cheerful trust" and a "pure and ennobling character". Boston critic Edwin Percy Whipple noted Whittier's moral and ethical tone mingled with sincere emotion. He wrote, "In reading this last volume, I feel as if my soul had taken

605-433: Is thought to mean feuillevert , after his Huguenot forebears. He grew up on the farm in a household with his parents, a brother and two sisters, a maternal aunt and paternal uncle, and a constant flow of visitors and hired hands for the farm. As a boy, it was discovered that Whittier was color-blind when he was unable to see a difference between ripe and unripe strawberries . The farm was not very profitable, and there

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660-575: The North American Review responded to Whittier's collection In War Time, and Other Poems , by calling him "on the whole, the most American of all our poets, and there is a fire of warlike patriotism in him that burns all the more intensely that is smothered by his [Quaker] creed". The passage of the Thirteenth Amendment in 1865 ended both slavery and his public cause, and so Whittier turned to other forms of poetry for

715-598: The Liberty Party in 1839. In 1840, he attended the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London. By 1843, he was announcing the triumph of the fledgling party: "Liberty party is no longer an experiment. It is vigorous reality, exerting... a powerful influence." Whittier unsuccessfully encouraged Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow to join the party. He took editing jobs with

770-811: The Middlesex Standard in Lowell, Massachusetts , and the Essex Transcript in Amesbury until 1844. While in Lowell, he met Lucy Larcom , who became a lifelong friend. In 1845, he began writing his essay "The Black Man" which included an anecdote about John Fountain, a free black who was jailed in Virginia for helping slaves to escape. After his release, Fountain went on a speaking tour and thanked Whittier for writing his story. Around then,

825-863: The Quaker Campus newspaper and television, the student-run radio station KPOET Radio, Video Productions Studios, and the Whittier College Sports Network. The Whittier Poets compete in the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) of NCAA Division III . The school has fielded sports teams for over 100 years. Its current teams include men's and women's basketball, cross country, soccer, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field, lacrosse and water polo, women's softball and volleyball, and men's baseball and golf. In November 2022, Whittier announced that it

880-720: The Sagamore and Bourne bridges, carries Interstate 95 from Amesbury to Newburyport over the Merrimack River . A covered bridge spanning the Bearcamp River in Ossipee, New Hampshire , is also named for Whittier. The city of Whittier, California , is named after the poet, as are the communities of Whittier, Alaska , Greenleaf, Idaho , and Whittier, Iowa ; the Minneapolis neighborhood of Whittier ;

935-621: The 1939 game between the two schools, Occidental decided to steal the shoes of Little All-American tackle (and future Whittier mayor) Myron Claxton in an attempt to hinder his performance. Claxton played in his work boots, and Whittier went to Oxy and won 36–0. Following the game, Claxton went to the Oxy sideline and reclaimed his shoes. After the Second World War, Claxton's shoes were bronzed by Whittier College's Franklin Society and became

990-409: The 1950s through the 1970s, but Oxy has won 27 of the last 35 games since 1983. Following the abandonment of Occidental's 2017 football season, no game was played in 2017, but the series resumed in 2018. The series is on hiatus following Occidental's discontinuation of its football program amidst the coronavirus pandemic, and Whittier's discontinuation of football following the 2022 season. Prior to

1045-945: The Church shall heal. Whittier's "At Port Royal 1861" describes the experience of Northern abolitionists arriving at Port Royal, South Carolina , as teachers and missionaries for the slaves who had been left behind when their owners fled because the Union Navy would arrive to blockade the coast. The poem includes the "Song of the Negro Boatmen," written in dialect: Oh, praise an' tanks! De Lord he come To set de people free; An' massa tink it day ob doom, An' we ob jubilee. De Lord dat heap de Red Sea waves He jus' as 'trong as den; He say de word: we las' night slaves; To-day, de Lord's freemen. De yam will grow, de cotton blow, We'll hab de rice an' corn: Oh, nebber you fear, if nebber you hear De driver blow his horn! Of all

1100-549: The NCAA tournament. On November 15, 2022, it was announced that Whittier College would discontinue its men's lacrosse program after the conclusion of their season. The Whittier men's and women's swimming and diving teams earned Academic All-American status—the women for the fourth straight year and the men for the first time after the College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) announced

1155-548: The North, formerly known as the National Enquirer . In May 1838, the publication moved its offices to the newly opened Pennsylvania Hall on North Sixth Street, which was shortly after burned by a pro-slavery mob. Whittier continued to write poetry, and nearly all of his poems then dealt with the problem of slavery. In 1838, Charles G. Atherton of New Hampshire presented five resolutions that were adopted and created

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1210-542: The North. For the next ten years, it featured the best of his writing, both as prose and poetry. Being confined to his home and away from the action offered Whittier a chance to write better abolitionist poetry, and he was even poet laureate for his party. Whittier's poems often used slavery to represent all kinds of oppression (physical, spiritual, economic), and his poems stirred up popular response because they appealed to feelings, rather than logic. Whittier produced two collections of antislavery poetry: Poems Written during

1265-599: The Poets became a member of the Western Collegiate Lacrosse League (WCLL). From 1980 to 1999, Whittier won ten championships. In 1990, they were recognized by the NCAA but continued to compete in the WCLL. The Poets were the team to beat throughout the 1990s, and it was not until 2000 that Whittier decided to make their mark on the national scene by leaving the WCLL and focusing on being selected for

1320-759: The Progress of the Abolition Question in the United States, between 1830 and 1838 and Voices of Freedom (1846). He was an elector in the presidential election of 1860 and of 1864 for Abraham Lincoln both times. In the months leading up to the American Civil War , Whittier built a strong national audience. In January 1861, The Atlantic Monthly , which had previous spurned his poetry, praised him for his "keen and discriminating love of right" and his "love of freedom". In 1864,

1375-596: The Vermonters, 1779 " anonymously in The New-England Magazine in 1838. The poem was mistakenly attributed to Ethan Allen for nearly sixty years. Whittier acknowledged his authorship in 1858. During the 1830s, Whittier became interested in politics, but after losing a congressional election at age 25, he suffered a nervous breakdown and returned home. The year 1833 was a turning point for Whittier; he resurrected his correspondence with Garrison, and

1430-771: The Vermonters, 1779 , which he had anonymously inserted in The New England Magazine. The poem was erroneously attributed to Ethan Allen for nearly sixty years. This use of poetry in the service of his political beliefs is illustrated by his book Poems Written during the Progress of the Abolition Question . Highly regarded in his lifetime and for a period thereafter, he is now largely remembered for his anti-slavery writings and his poems Barbara Frietchie , " The Barefoot Boy ", " Maud Muller " and Snow-Bound . A number of his poems have been turned into hymns , including Dear Lord and Father of Mankind , taken from his poem " The Brewing of Soma ". The latter part of

1485-906: The Whittier neighborhoods of Denver and Boulder , Colorado, as well as a school and a park there. Both Whittier College and Whittier Law School are named after him. A park in the Saint Boniface area of Winnipeg is named after the poet in recognition of his poem "The Red River Voyageur". Whittier Education Campus in Washington, DC , is named in his honor. SS Whittier Victory a World War II ship named after Whittier College. Whittier Peak and Mount Whittier in Washington and Mount Whittier in New Hampshire are mountains named after him. The alternate history story P.'s Correspondence (1846) by Nathaniel Hawthorne , considered

1540-599: The addition of other issues to its platform. He eventually participated in the evolution of the Liberty Party into the Free Soil Party , and some say his greatest political feat was convincing Charles Sumner to run on the Free-Soil ticket for the U.S. Senate in 1850. Beginning in 1847, Whittier was the editor of Gamaliel Bailey 's The National Era , one of the most influential abolitionist newspapers in

1595-445: The average student body size increased to over 1600 students during the 2010s. Enrollment dropped significantly during the tenure of former President Linda Oubre (2018–2023) from more than 1750 students in 2017 to 815 in spring 2024. Whittier College has approximately 80 registered, student-run organizations. The college also has societies, which are similar to fraternities and sororities. Other campus groups include student publications,

1650-437: The fall of 2022 was greeted with controversy and protests. Notable alumni include former U.S. President Richard Nixon ; actress Andrea Barber , known from the television comedy Full House and Fuller House ; video blogger Cassey Ho ; actors and brothers Geoff Stults , and George Stults ; and author Jessamyn West . John Greenleaf Whittier John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17, 1807 – September 7, 1892)

1705-674: The first such story ever published in English, includes the notice "Whittier, a fiery Quaker youth, to whom the muse had perversely assigned a battle-trumpet, got himself lynched, in South Carolina". The date of that event in Hawthorne's invented timeline was 1835. Whittier was one of thirteen writers in the 1897 card game Authors , which referenced his writings "Laus Deo", "Among the Hills", Snow-bound , and "The Eternal Goodness". He

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1760-519: The guidance of a faculty member, designs their own major and course of study based on individual interests and career goals. Its most popular undergraduate majors, based on 2021 graduates, were Whittier College hosts a Faculty House Program, which is modeled after similar programs at Oxford and Cambridge Universities. In this program, faculty are selected as faculty-in-residence for a multi-year term, live in houses located on-campus, and create and host in their homes educational and social programs around

1815-574: The intensity of my gazing. I do not think his voice naturally particularly fine, but he uses it with great effect. He has wonderful dramatic power ... I like him better than any public reader I have ever before heard. He was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 1870. Whittier spent the last winters of his life, from 1876 to 1892, at Oak Knoll, the home of his cousins in Danvers, Massachusetts . Whittier spent

1870-695: The job of editor of the National Philanthropist , a Boston-based temperance weekly. Shortly after a change in management, Garrison reassigned him as editor of the weekly American Manufacturer in Boston. Whittier became an outspoken critic of President Andrew Jackson , and by 1830 was editor of the prominent New England Weekly Review in Hartford, Connecticut , the most influential Whig journal in New England . He published " The Song of

1925-412: The most recent coming in 2007. The football program plays out of Newman Memorial Field, which seats 7,000. Whittier maintained a century-long football rivalry with Occidental Tigers . The two schools play for the shoes of 1939 All-American Myron Claxton. In November 2022, the school announced it would discontinue the football program. The Whittier men's lacrosse program was established in 1980. In 1980,

1980-472: The opinion of the older and more established writer, pledging that if Neal did not like his writing, " I will quit poetry, and everything also of a literary nature , for I am sick at heart of the business." In an 1829 letter, Neal told Whittier to "Persevere, and I am sure you will have your reward in every way." Reading Neal's 1828 novel Rachel Dyer inspired Whittier to weave New England witchcraft lore into his own stories and poems. Garrison gave Whittier

2035-456: The passionate abolitionist began to encourage the young Quaker to join his cause. In 1833, Whittier published the antislavery pamphlet Justice and Expediency , and from there dedicated the next twenty years of his life to the abolitionist cause. The controversial pamphlet destroyed all of his political hopes, as his demand for immediate emancipation alienated both Northern businessmen and Southern slaveholders, but it also sealed his commitment to

2090-622: The peace of God is there; To worship rightly is to love each other, Each smile a hymn, each kindly deed a prayer. His sometimes contrasting sense of the need for strong action against injustice can be seen in his poem "To Rönge" in honor of Johannes Ronge , the German religious figure and rebel leader of the 1848 rebellion in Germany: Thy work is to hew down. In God's name then: Put nerve into thy task. Let other men; Plant, as they may, that better tree whose fruit, The wounded bosom of

2145-427: The poem was set in 1924 by Dr. George Gilbert Stocks to the tune of Repton by English composer Hubert Parry from the 1888 oratorio Judith . It is also sung as the hymn Rest by Frederick Maker, and Charles Ives also set a part of it to music in his song "Serenity". Whittier's Quakerism is better illustrated, however, by the hymn that begins: O Brother Man, fold to thy heart thy brother: Where pity dwells,

2200-512: The poetry inspired by the Civil War , the "Song of the Negro Boatmen" was one of the most widely printed, and, although Whittier never actually visited Port Royal, an abolitionist working there described his "Song of the Negro Boatmen" as "wonderfully applicable as we were being rowed across Hilton Head Harbor among United States gunboats." Nathaniel Hawthorne dismissed Whittier's Literary Recreations and Miscellanies (1854): "Whittier's book

2255-413: The programs who achieved this honor for the 2015 Fall Semester. Five hundred forty-seven swimming and diving teams representing 354 colleges and universities have been named College Swimming Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar All-American Teams. The awards recognize teams with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher during the 2015 fall semester. The termination of football, lacrosse, and golf in

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2310-506: The remainder of his life. One of his most enduring works, Snow-Bound , was first published in 1866. Whittier was surprised by its financial success; he earned $ 10,000 from the first edition. In 1867, Whittier asked James T. Fields to get him a ticket to a reading by Charles Dickens during the British author's visit to the United States. After the event, Whittier wrote a letter describing his experience: My eyes ached all next day from

2365-410: The stresses of editorial duties, worsening health, and dangerous mob violence caused Whittier to have a physical breakdown. He went home to Amesbury and remained there for the rest of his life, ending his active participation in abolition. Even so, he continued to believe that the best way to gain abolitionist support was to broaden the Liberty Party's political appeal, and Whittier persisted in advocating

2420-508: The student body is Latino, and students of color constitute about 70% of the college's campus population. A majority of students hail from California. As of 2017, there are students from at least 27 states and 14 countries. Whittier offers over 30 majors and 30 minors in 23 disciplines, emphasizing interdisciplinary learning. Students may also apply for entry into the Whittier Scholars Program, in which each student, under

2475-500: The summer of 1892 at the home of a cousin in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire , where he wrote his last poem (a tribute to Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. ) and where he was captured in a final photograph. He died at this home on September 7, 1892, and was buried in Amesbury, Massachusetts . Whittier's first two published books were Legends of New England (1831) and the poem Moll Pitcher (1832). In 1833 he published The Song of

2530-514: The years of 1913, 1984, and 1989, the latter two due to the SCIAC's doubling up of one opponent per season in the 1980s. The game is often referred to as the Shoes Game , as the winner maintains possession of Myron Claxton's bronzed shoes as a trophy. Over its more than 100-year history, the rivalry has been relatively even, with Oxy maintaining a 57–52–2 edge. Whittier dominated the rivalry from

2585-770: Was a college football rivalry between the Occidental College Tigers and the Whittier College Poets, both members of the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference . The rivalry has been played 108 times, renewed annually since 1907, except for interruptions during the World Wars and in 2017. By 1935, the Los Angeles Times was already referring to the Tigers and Poets as "old rivals". The schools met twice in

2640-570: Was a member of the Association of American Law Schools (AALS) beginning 1987. On April 19, 2017, the law school announced that it would stop admitting students and begin the process of shutting down. The school ceased operations in July 2020. Whittier College has traditionally enrolled 1000–1500 undergraduate students, allowing most classes to be seminars. Since 1984, Whittier College has averaged an undergraduate population of 1329 students, but

2695-584: Was an American Quaker poet and advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States . Frequently listed as one of the fireside poets , he was influenced by the Scottish poet Robert Burns . Whittier is remembered particularly for his anti-slavery writings, as well as his 1866 book Snow-Bound . Whittier was born to John and Abigail ( née Hussey) Whittier at their rural homestead in Haverhill, Massachusetts , on December 17, 1807. His middle name

2750-536: Was discontinuing its football team, men's lacrosse, and men's and women's golf. The history of the Whittier football program began in 1907, and since the inception of the SCIAC in 1915, the Poets have won 26 conference titles. From 1957 to 1964, Whittier won eight straight SCIAC football titles under the direction of coaches George Allen (1951–1956), Don Coryell (1957–1959), and John Godfrey (1960–1979). Their most recent championships came back-to-back in 1997 and 1998. Twenty-three Poets have earned All-American honors,

2805-473: Was first introduced to poetry by a teacher. His sister Mary Whittier sent his first poem, "The Deity", to the Newburyport Free Press without his permission, and its editor, William Lloyd Garrison , published it on June 8, 1826. Garrison, as well as another local editor, encouraged Whittier to attend the recently opened Haverhill Academy. To raise money to attend the school, Whittier became

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2860-540: Was invaluable. From 1835 to 1838, he traveled widely in the North, attending conventions, securing votes, speaking to the public, and lobbying politicians. As he did so, Whittier received his fair share of violent responses, being several times mobbed, stoned, and run out of town. From 1838 to 1840, he was editor of the Pennsylvania Freeman in Philadelphia , one of the leading antislavery papers in

2915-604: Was located on a satellite campus in Costa Mesa, California . It started in the Hancock Park section of Los Angeles in 1966 as Beverly Law School. In 1975, Beverly College joined Whittier with the law school, moving to Costa Mesa in 1997. Whittier Law School has 4,500 alumni practicing in 48 states and 14 countries. The school was accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) beginning in 1978 and

2970-488: Was only enough money to get by. Whittier himself was not cut out for hard farm labor and suffered from bad health and physical frailty his whole life. Although he received little formal education, he was an avid reader who studied his father's six books on Quakerism until their teachings became the foundation of his ideology. Whittier was heavily influenced by the doctrines of his religion, particularly its stress on humanitarianism, compassion, and social responsibility. Whittier

3025-557: Was removed from the card game when it was reissued in 1987. Whitter's poem "Twilight" was set to music in 1932 by Edwin Fowles . In 2020, a statue previously erected in his honor in Whittier, California , was defaced with antislavery and Black Lives Matter slogans by vandals. He had never owned slaves. Poetry collections Prose Occidental%E2%80%93Whittier football rivalry The Occidental–Whittier football rivalry

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