The Copybook: Readings in history and literature

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Sublime Christian Heroism by Abraham Lincoln

In replying to a letter of support from Manchester’s cotton workers, US President Lincoln showed how deeply touched he had been.

1

Double Standards by Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson wondered why New Yorkers elected to Congress the kind of man they would turn out of their own homes.

2

To the Last I Grapple With Thee by Herman Melville

Ahab, his mind broken by an obsession, at last confronts the enemy he has hunted so long.

3

Good Morning, Mr Horse by Nathaniel Hawthorne

A young Nathaniel Hawthorne recalls a confidential conversation with a tired old horse.

4

‘If They Can Stand It I Can’ by Abraham Lincoln

However loud his critics shouted their disapproval, Abraham Lincoln would neither deprive them of free speech nor change his opinions.

5

How I Learnt to Write by Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin recalls the disciplines he put himself through on the way to becoming one of America’s literary giants.

6

The Grammar of Jays and Cats by Mark Twain

In Jim Baker’s considered opinion, the bluejay had a much better command of language than Mark Twain’s cats did.

American Literature