On the record
But such is the public opinion in favor of personal independence springing from industry, that a native-born American citizen had rather die than go to an Alms-House.
Said by
Henry Ward Beecher
Source
gutenberg.orgHenry Ward Beecher: “But such is the public opinion in favor of personal independence springing from industry, that a native-born American…”
Editor's note · Context
Beecher highlights the strong societal stigma against seeking charity in America, reflecting a cultural value of independence.
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But the North will be an utterly dead force in the American nation.
And now it has come to pass that, in the good providence of God, another opportunity has been presented to the whole North to reassert her place and her influence, and to fill the institutions of our country with their original and proper…
In this respect, there would be a marked contrast between the subjects which occupy us, and the grander life-themes that dignify European thought, were it not for one subject--Slavery.
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