who was emily dickinson?olar marta werner offers this: >> she is a constant summons to me to think about language and its preciseness. and not only its preciseness, but its power. >> reporter: here, visitors can listen to readings of the poems... while examining remnants of a circumscribed 19th century life lived almost completely in one town: amherst, massachusetts. the only known painting of dickinson as a child with her siblings, a daguerreotype of her as a young woman-- the only authenticated photo of the poet. there's also a lock of her auburn hair; a replica of cut and pressed botanical specimens; and another of the rose wallpaper in the bedroom to which she retreated in her later years. this exhibition, with some 100 rarely-seen items, is eager to present a different, fresh take on dickinson. curator carolyn vega: >> the stereotype that was attached to her very early on of this total recluse, of this woman in white who never left her bedroom, who penned these amazing verses, like in a vacuum almost, in

emerson, emily dickinson, a little further south, walt whitman, herman melville, but i was working on a project about henry david thoreau. i just had encountered a single line in a biography that said, on january 1, 1860, the row had, for the first time, encountered a copy of darwin's on the origin of species. it is widely assumed by me, and by many american studies folks that darwin's book didn't have a significant impact until after the civil war. that book was published late 1859 and it arrives here and makes it here in 1860. in about 15 months or so the civil war the reps and the nation is really preoccupied with that. only after that time does this amazing, intellectual revolution affected by darwin make itself felt. i shouldn't have been surprised because in many ways like his mentor, emerson, he was always ahead ahead of ideas. what i felt was a curiosity on my part to find how he got a hold of that. here is the story. charles darwin publishes on the origin of species in 1859, the book sells out on the day that it's published. it has a print run of 1500 in england and a new pri

interested in many of the writers in england in the 19th century we know so well, ralph waldo emerson, emily dickinson, a little farther south, walt whitman, herman melville, i was working on a project about henry david thoreau, and i just had encountered a single line in a biography that said on january 1, 1860, the row -- henry david thoreau had encountered a copy of darwin's "on the origin of species" and i remembered thinking wow and i will tell you why. it is widely assumed or at least it was widely assumed by me, and by many american studies folks, american literary studies folks, that darwin's book did not have a significant impact in this country until after the civil war. the idea is that book was published in late 1859, arrives here and makes its first impact in early 1860 and within 14 or 15 months or so, the civil war erupts. the nation is really preoccupied with that for the next four and a half years and only after that time does this sort of amazing, intellectual revolution affected by darwin make itself felt in the united states. i was surprised to learn that henry david thoreau encoun

like emily dickinson and walt whitman and langston hughes. our philosophers like john dewey and ralph waldo emmerson, our ex-trirednafere -- extraordinary , dynamic culture which invites people from all over the world. our artists, our musicians like bruce springsteen and the neville brothers and dar williams. all these people and things are what we love about america and they evoke the positive emotion of patriotism. patriotism is all about uplifting people. drawing on what's best in our history. finding what's best in our culture. invoking our founders, madison and jefferson and franklin and tom paine. invoking the people who founded the country once again through the civil war and the reconstruction amendment. abraham lincoln and frederick douglass. the people who transformed america in the women's suffrage movement, like susan b. anthony. the people who remade america once again in the civil rights movement like martin luther king, bob moses, and the student nonviolence committee. and the people who blew the doors off oppression of other