Introduction

Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass is a collection of poems that were heavily criticized during the era prior to, during, and after the Civil War (1861-1865). The reason for this criticism was due to its controversial content, including but not limited to its homosexual tendencies. 

This website will focus mainly on the 1881 edition that was banned but will touch upon the other editions as well.

Throughout this website you will be able to learn about the book itself, the many different versions and the challenges each edition had faced. The social and historical context will be examined as well as some extra info about its impact in modern media. Whitman’s book played a heavy role in American Literature, becoming one of the pioneers of the “free verse” and defining what it means to impact society.