Concord in Middlesex County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
Two Revolutions
The 18th-century American Revolution was followed by a 19th-century literary revolution in Concord, which advanced our ideas of individual liberty and equality. Concord authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Louisa May Alcott, Henry David Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorne helped Americans to realize their own national and cultural identity.
In the same year that the “votive stone” was dedicated, Emerson gave one of his famous speeches, “The American Scholar” at Harvard. It was praised as America’s “declaration of intellectual independence” because it advocated a distinctive American style of writing and thought. Emerson inspired by the momentous events in his town, expanded the meaning of the Revolution.
“Our day of dependence, our long apprenticeship to the learning of other lands draws to a close. The millions that around us are rushing into life cannot always be fed on the sere remains of foreign harvests. Events, actions arise, that must be sung, that will sing themselves. We will walk on our own feet, we will work with our own hands, we will speak our own mind.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The American Scholar”
“Do we call this the land of the free? What is it to be free of King George and continue to be slaves of King Prejudice? What is it to be born free and not to live free? What is the value of any political freedom, but as a means to moral freedom?”
Henry David Thoreau
“Life Without Principle”
“By and by there will come a day of reckoning, and then the tax-paying women of Concord will not be forgotten I think, will not be left to wait uncalled upon . . . I devoutly wish that those so bravely bore their share of that day’s burden without its honor, will rally around their own flag again, and following in the footsteps of their forefathers, will utter another protest that shall be ‘heard round the world.’”
Louisa May Alcott on women’s suffrage
“The Concord Centennial”
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Civil Rights • Women.
Location. 42° 28.207′ N, 71° 21.149′ W. Marker is in Concord, Massachusetts, in Middlesex County. Marker can be reached from Liberty Street, on the right when traveling north. Marker is located in the Minute Man National Historic Park, overlooking the North Bridge. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Concord MA 01742, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. An Evolving Legacy (here, next to this marker); Reflections of the Revolution (here, next to this marker); The Muster Field (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); The North Bridge (about 400 feet away); The Road to Colonel Barrett’s (about 500 feet away); Captain Isaac Davis (about 500 feet away); The Minuteman of Concord 1775 (about 600 feet away); Major John Buttrick (about 600 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Concord.
More about this marker. The marker contains portraits of Henry David Thoreau and Louisa May Alcott.
Credits. This page was last revised on July 20, 2020. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey. This page has been viewed 726 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 29, 2011, by Bill Coughlin of Woodland Park, New Jersey.