American Quotations by William J. Federer 2024

David Glasgow Farragut (July 5, 1801-August 14, 1870) was an Admiral in the U.S. Navy, 1866. He had served as the Navy's first Rear Admiral, a rank he earned in 1862 by capturing New Orleans during the Civil War. He helped General Ulysses S. Grant capture Vicksburg in 1863, and then took command of a fleet to capture Mobile, Alabama, in 1864. Through tremendous fire, Farragut bravely forced his way into Mobile Bay, which was filled with mines (torpedoes), roaring his phrase, <Damn the torpedoes. Full speed ahead!> 1801DF001 In the Life and Letters of Admiral D.G. Farragut, written by...

William Henry Seward (May 16, 1801-October 10, 1872) was Governor of the State of New York, 1839-43; U.S. Senator 1849-61; and Secretary of State under President Lincoln during the War between the States, 1861-65. Lincoln's assassins also attempted to kill him; one of John Wilkes Booth's accomplices broke into Seward's home and wounded him. He later served as Secretary of State under President Andrew Johnson, 1865-69, working to implement the "reconstruction" in the South. Among his accomplishments was the negotiation of the purchase of Alaska from Russia, 1867. At the time it was mockingly called "Seward's Folly," as the land...

Lord Thomas Babington Macaulay (October 25, 1800-December 28, 1859) was an English statesman, essayist, historian and poet. He was a member of Parliament, 1830-56, an eloquent debater, and he served on the Supreme Council in India. His writings were highly popular, as he made historical figures come alive with a vivid style. His works include the Lays of Ancient Rome and The History of England from the Accession of James II, 5 vols., 1849-61. In his piece titled, On John Dryden, 1828, Lord Macaulay stated: <The English Bible-a book which if everything else in our language should perish, would alone...

George Bancroft (October 3, 1800-January 17, 1891) was a historian, diplomat and educator. He served as Secretary of Navy under President Polk, 1845-46, directing the establishment of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, as well as the Naval Observatory at Washington, D.C. He served as U.S. Minister to Great Britain, 1846-49; and later Germany. In 1834, he published the first volume of his ten-volume History of the United States, (1834-1876). This was the first comprehensive history of America written from its beginnings to the ratification of the Constitution. For more than 50 years it was the best-known and most widely...

William Holmes McGuffey (September 23, 1800-May 4, 1873) was an American educator. He was the president of Ohio University, professor at the University of Virginia and the department chairman at the Miami University of Ohio. He was responsible for forming the first teachers' association in that part of the nation. Considered the "Schoolmaster of the Nation," McGuffey published the first edition of his McGuffey's Reader in 1836. This book was the mainstay in public education in America till 1920. As of 1963, 125 million copies had been sold, making it one of the most widely used and influential textbooks of...