What is the background of the poem “O Captain! My Captain!?” [NU: 2016, 20, 22] ★★★

“O Captain! My Captain!” (1865) is a famous elegy by Walt Whitman (1819-1892). It was written to mourn the death of Abraham Lincoln, the 16th president of America. The poem is based on the historical event of the assassination of Abraham Lincoln in 1865, just after the victory in the American Civil War (1861-1865). Let us discuss the background of the poem below.

Historical Background: “O Captain! My Captain!” was first published in 1865, soon after Abraham Lincoln was assassinated. At that time, America had just gone through the terrible Civil War (1861–1865). Lincoln led the Union to victory in the war. The war ended slavery. When the war ended, people were hopeful about peace. But suddenly their joy was broken by the murder of the president, Abraham Lincoln.

On April 14th, 1865, Lincoln was shot by a well-known actor and negrophobe John Wilkes Booth, at Ford’s Theatre. Lincoln died the next morning. Abraham Lincoln was not only a political leader, but also a sy