Materials . . .

The Advocate of Moral Reform (May 1, 1839)

Adam Miller has prepared this full-text PDF reproduction of George Cragin's The Advocate of Moral Reform. This is volume 5, number 9, dated May 1, 1839, and it's eight pages long. As Adam writes in his one-page postscript, the Advocate was the mouthpiece of the New York Female Moral Reform Society from 1835 to 1845. It continued the notorious McDowall's Journal, which began in 1833 and met a quick end when its proprietor, the Rev. John Robert McDowall, was engulfed in a variety of scandals.

Unlike the other editions, this one reproduces the look and layout of the original. And I did none of the PDF production; Adam Miller made this all by himself.

Walt Whitman, "The Child and the Profligate" (1844)

For the American Romantic Fiction seminar, Natalie Williams prepared this edition of Walt Whitman's "The Child and the Profligate." You can find the full, unformatted text plus a link for a PDF download in the extended body of this post.

T.S. Arthur, "Confessions of a Platonic Lover" (1838)

Here is David Sanders' edition of T.S. Arthur's early work, "Confessions of a Platonic Lover." He copied it from an 1838 gift book. This edition, and all other student editions hosted on this website, was created by the accumulation and merging of several distinct research and writing assignments. The introduction went through several revisions, and the final version, which you see here, was proofread and lightly edited by myself as I prepared the PDF file. In addition and again, as usual, I checked and double-checked the accuracy of David's text against my original before posting it here.

The Advocate of Moral Reform for July 16, 1838

"Moral Reform" was an antebellum movement that consisted of societies, mainly female, devoted to (a) curbing the violent sexual passions and (b) generally reducing the amount of extramarital sex in America. The movement might be understood as a part of the broader temperance movement; the moral reform movement, as represented here, at least, also sought the restraint of passion and the cultivation of reason and religious feeling. As you will see if you "continue reading," Kathlene Verib copied the entire contents of a single issue of The Advocate of Moral Reform. This number features the following catalog of vice and crime: slovenly dress, premarital sex, sex with prostitutes, the premature sexualization of children, adultery, attempted rape, and the neglect of one's duty to promote and support Female Moral Reform societies.

Here is Kathlene Verib's edition of this number, with a brief introduction and a bibliography, in both PDF and (for searching purposes) plain ASCII format. Enjoy.

Selections from William A. Alcott’s Moral Reformer and Teacher on the Human Constitution (1835)

Shawna Hoffman read the March 1835 issue of William Alcott's Moral Reformer and Teacher on the Human Constitution and prepared the following edition of what she regarded as the most interesting parts.

N.P. Willis, “The Icy Veil” (1846)

The series of short editions and out-of-print primary texts, prepared by students enrolled in my courses, resumes with this edition by Mike Kimble.

John Ledyard's "Death of Captain Cook" (1783)

Louis J. Slimak prepared this edition of John Ledyard's "Death of Captain Cook" for the Spring 2006 section of Early American Literature.

Ann Eliza Bleecker, Two Poems (1793)

A reading by Lindsay Kennedy for Early American Literature (Spring 2006). This is number 7 in the series. This post contains the full text of this edition, which is also available in an elegant PDF format.

Hugh Henry Brackenridge, “Provincial Honors to an Exciseman” (1807)

A reading by Alex Morris for Early American Literature (Spring 2006). This is number 6 in the series. This post contains the full text of this edition, which is also available in a graceful PDF format.

Thomas Hutchinson and Ezra Stiles on the Regicides (1764, 1794)

An edition by Ethan T. Jordan for Early American Literature (Spring 2006). This is number 5 in the series. This post contains the full text of this edition, which is also available in a more elegant PDF format.

Jeremy Belknap, “The Siege of Louisbourg” (1793)

An edition by Mike Lyndall for Early American Literature (Spring 2006). This is number 4 in the series. Many more to come. As always, this post contains the full text of this edition, which is also available in a more beautiful PDF format.

David Zeisberger, Diary for March 23, 1782

An edition by T.A. Steele for Early American Literature (Spring 2006). This is number 3 in the series. This post contains the full text of this edition, which is also available in a more beautiful PDF format.

Deodat Lawson, “Witchcraft in Salem” (1704)

A reading by Michael Sees for Early American Literature (Spring 2006). This is number 2 in the series. This post contains the full text of this edition, which is also available in a more beautiful PDF format.

Hannah More, “Parley the Porter” (c. 1796)

A reading prepared by Jon Miller, The University of Akron, Spring 2006. This is number 1 in what will be a series. This post contains the full text of the more beautiful PDF document.