The Education of Henry Adams and the Microcosm for 19th Century America Anonymous College

The 19th century was a time of rapid growth and development in a multitude of ways economically and socially. The United States of America was developing from a union of states into a worldwide political power. This movement included western and imperial expansion, worldwide marketing, a rapid industrial revolution, mass movement into cities, immigration from all over the world, and huge economic advancement. The United States of America had changed from a newly-formed, idealistic republic into an imperial giant, and the individuals within America had to come to terms with this change. Although Henry Adams, the author of his autobiographical work Education of Henry Adams, had received extensive formal education, he was left unprepared for the changing world, just as much of society was. In this way, he found himself a microcosm of a society facing rapid change, simply trying to react and take control of their personal lives in order to protect themselves. In the autobiography, Adams writes in third person in order to understand his own life and reflect upon the world changing around him, focusing on how his formal education had left him unprepared due to its focus on reaction rather than applying one’s own forces to the world,...