Spine title: Sparks's American biography
Includes bibliographical references and indexes
This volume is part of the Library of American Biography series, projected by Jared Sparks, an American histrorian and educator, whose intent was to enable the reader to trace a connected history of the nation through the lives of distinguised men. Eventually, twenty-five volumes were published containing sixty biographies, of which Sparks wrote eight. This volume contains a biography of Robert Cavalier de LaSalle by Sparks and one of Patrick Henry by Alexander H. Everett.
Jared Sparks (1789-1866) was an American historian, educator, and Unitarian minister. He was president of Harvard College from 1849 to 1853. As an historian and editor, he was uncritical in depicting his subjects, whom he was inclined to portray without blemish. He lacked the literary gifts of other contemporary historians. As editor, he altered documents or omitted them if unfavorable to the image he wished to project. Yet the sheer volume of his productivity transformed the character of American historical writing.
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