Caleb Bingham
Encyclopedia
Caleb Bingham was a textbook author of late 18th-century New England
, whose works were also influential into the 19th and 20th. Among his most influential works were books on oratory
, or public speaking. A native of Salisbury, Connecticut
, he spent much of his career in Boston, Massachusetts as a publisher and bookseller. Brigham was educated at Dartmouth College
and valedictorian
of his class of 1782. He also taught at the College.
One of his most popular works was The Columbian Orator
, originally published in 1797, an anthology which contained rules on oratory, but consisted primarily of texts for reading and recitation. The selections (from about three dozen writers) include poems, essays, short dialogues, and extracts from famous speeches. The content reflects a substantial concern with the moral education of youth and the preparation of citizens in the young Republic. (Selections include arguments made in Parliament in support of the American Colonies.) The book has continued in print into the late 20th century.
The Columbian Orator served as an inspiration to many orators, including the African-American abolitionist
Frederick Douglass
, who purchased a copy as a young man and used it to develop his powerful public speaking style.
Two other well-known textbooks of Bingham's, also on reading, grammar, and oratory, were The American Preceptor (1794) and The Young Lady's Accidence (1785). The American Preceptor is similar to The Columbian Orator in its content. Selections (often about two pages in length) draw attention to the evils of slavery, the importance of clemency toward the unfortunate (including one's captive enemies), personal virtue and industry, religious tolerance, and the education of girls. Some stories recite the acts of a virtuous American Indian, African, Moor, Catholic, or other person--sometimes in contrast to a less virtuous white or Christian character. Bingham also takes aim at characters who care more about fashion, entertainments, or lapdogs than about honest labor, solid education, and duties within the household. The success of Bingham's books can be attributed in part to the dramatic and narrative interest of many selections.
Additional biographical and historical material appears in David W. Blight (ed. and new intro.), Caleb Bingham, The Columbian Orator: Containing a Variety of Original and Selected Pieces together with Rules, Which are Calculated to Improve Youth and Others, in the Ornamental and Useful Art of Eloquence (Bicentennial Edition, New York: New York University Press, 1998).
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, whose works were also influential into the 19th and 20th. Among his most influential works were books on oratory
Oratory
Oratory is a type of public speaking.Oratory may also refer to:* Oratory , a power metal band* Oratory , a place of worship* a religious order such as** Oratory of Saint Philip Neri ** Oratory of Jesus...
, or public speaking. A native of Salisbury, Connecticut
Salisbury, Connecticut
Salisbury is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The town is the northwest-most in the State of Connecticut. The MA-NY-CT Tri-State Marker is located just on the border of Salisbury...
, he spent much of his career in Boston, Massachusetts as a publisher and bookseller. Brigham was educated at Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
and valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of his class of 1782. He also taught at the College.
One of his most popular works was The Columbian Orator
The Columbian Orator
First appearing in 1797, The Columbian Orator, a collection of political essays, poems, and dialogues, was widely used in American schoolrooms in the first quarter of the nineteenth century to teach reading and speaking. Many of the speeches included in the anthology celebrated "republican" virtues...
, originally published in 1797, an anthology which contained rules on oratory, but consisted primarily of texts for reading and recitation. The selections (from about three dozen writers) include poems, essays, short dialogues, and extracts from famous speeches. The content reflects a substantial concern with the moral education of youth and the preparation of citizens in the young Republic. (Selections include arguments made in Parliament in support of the American Colonies.) The book has continued in print into the late 20th century.
The Columbian Orator served as an inspiration to many orators, including the African-American abolitionist
Abolitionism
Abolitionism is a movement to end slavery.In western Europe and the Americas abolitionism was a movement to end the slave trade and set slaves free. At the behest of Dominican priest Bartolomé de las Casas who was shocked at the treatment of natives in the New World, Spain enacted the first...
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
, who purchased a copy as a young man and used it to develop his powerful public speaking style.
Two other well-known textbooks of Bingham's, also on reading, grammar, and oratory, were The American Preceptor (1794) and The Young Lady's Accidence (1785). The American Preceptor is similar to The Columbian Orator in its content. Selections (often about two pages in length) draw attention to the evils of slavery, the importance of clemency toward the unfortunate (including one's captive enemies), personal virtue and industry, religious tolerance, and the education of girls. Some stories recite the acts of a virtuous American Indian, African, Moor, Catholic, or other person--sometimes in contrast to a less virtuous white or Christian character. Bingham also takes aim at characters who care more about fashion, entertainments, or lapdogs than about honest labor, solid education, and duties within the household. The success of Bingham's books can be attributed in part to the dramatic and narrative interest of many selections.
Additional biographical and historical material appears in David W. Blight (ed. and new intro.), Caleb Bingham, The Columbian Orator: Containing a Variety of Original and Selected Pieces together with Rules, Which are Calculated to Improve Youth and Others, in the Ornamental and Useful Art of Eloquence (Bicentennial Edition, New York: New York University Press, 1998).
External links
- The Influence of The Columbian Orator - "E Pluribus Unum Project," Assumption College
- The Study of American Literature: A View from the Hill, Dartmouth College