Philip Morin Freneau Summary

Philip Freneau Born January 2, 1752 (New York, New York) Died December 19, 1832 (Monmouth County, New Jersey) Poet, editor Philip Freneau was a major early American poet who used his wit and literary ... Read more

Philip Morin Freneau (1752-1832) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. Remembered as the poet of the American Revolution and the father of American poetry, he was a transitional figure in Am... Read more

George Washington once used a cabinet meeting to rage at length about "that rascal Freneau." "He makes no regret that I had passed up an opportunity to resign the presidency," Washington said. "By God... Read more

In the following excerpt, Austin provides examples of nineteenth-century criticism of Freneau's poetry. For reasons already given, we deem it best to give the criticisms of others upon the p... Read more

In the following essay, Harrington discusses the shift in poetic sensibility between 1800 and 1830 described through the poetic differences between Freneau and Bryant. … Not as a re-birth of... Read more

In the following excerpt, Adkins explores the formation of Freneau's complex religious philosophy from his abandonment of the orthodoxy of his parents to his turn toward nature and deism. Ii ... Read more

In the following excerpt, Bowden surveys Freneau's prose writings from 1790 to 1800, including his newspaper articles and humorous essays. The ten years from 1790 to 1800 were the most activ... Read more

In the following excerpt, Vitzthum suggests that Freneau's capture and subsequent imprisonment by the British marked a turning point in his personal philosophy and writing career. In 1778 Ro... Read more

In the following essay, Round explores Freneau's poem “Indian Burying Ground” in the context of both Christian and Native American mythology, focusing on Freneau's changing... Read more