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Richard Henry Dana Jr.

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born

in Cambridge, Massachusetts, The United States

August 01, 1815

died

January 06, 1882

gender

male

About this author

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Dana was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on August 1, 1815, into a family that first settled in colonial America in 1640. As a boy, Dana studied in Cambridgeport under a strict schoolmaster named Samuel Barrett, alongside fellow Cambridge native and future writer James Russell Lowell. Barrett was infamous as a disciplinarian, punishing his students for any infraction by flogging. He also often pulled students by their ears and, on one such occasion, nearly pulled Dana's ear off, causing his father to protest enough that the practice was abolished.

In 1825, Dana enrolled in a private school overseen by Ralph Waldo Emerson, who Dana later mildly praised as "a very pleasant instructor", though he lacked a "system or discipline enough to insure...more Dana was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts on August 1, 1815, into a family that first settled in colonial America in 1640. As a boy, Dana studied in Cambridgeport under a strict schoolmaster named Samuel Barrett, alongside fellow Cambridge native and future writer James Russell Lowell. Barrett was infamous as a disciplinarian, punishing his students for any infraction by flogging. He also often pulled students by their ears and, on one such occasion, nearly pulled Dana's ear off, causing his father to protest enough that the practice was abolished.

In 1825, Dana enrolled in a private school overseen by Ralph Waldo Emerson, who Dana later mildly praised as "a very pleasant instructor", though he lacked a "system or discipline enough to insure regular and vigorous study". In July 1831, Dana began his studies at Harvard College, though he was suspended for six months before the end of his first year for supporting a student protest. In his junior year, he had a case of measles which also caused ophthalmia and his weakening vision inspired him to take a sea voyage.

Rather than going on a Grand Tour of Europe, he decided to enlist as a common sailor, despite his high-class birth. He left Boston on the brig Pilgrim on August 14, 1834, on a voyage around Cape Horn to the then-remote California, at that time still a part of Mexico. On the 180-ton, 86.5 foot-long Pilgrim, Dana visited a number of settlements in California (including Monterey, San Pedro, San Juan Capistrano, San Diego, Santa Barbara, and Santa Clara and San Francisco). He returned to Massachusetts aboard the ship Alert on September 22, 1836, after two years away from home.

He kept a diary, and after the trip wrote Two Years Before the Mast based on his experiences. The term "before the mast" refers to sailor's quarters -- in the forecastle, in the bow of the ship, the officers dwelling near the stern. His writing evidences his later social feeling for the oppressed. After witnessing a flogging on board the Pilgrim, he vowed that he would try to help improve the lot of the common seaman.

After his sea voyage, he returned to Harvard to take up study at its law school, completing his education in 1837. He subsequently became a lawyer, and an expert on maritime law, many times defending common seamen, and wrote The Seaman's Friend, which became a standard reference text on the legal rights and responsibilities of sailors.(less)

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Richard Henry Dana Jr.'s Books

Average rating: 3.89 · 4,378 ratings · 288 reviews · 29 distinct works · Similar authors

	Two Years Before the Mast: A Sailor's Life at Sea 3.88 of 5 stars 3.88 avg rating — 4,192 ratings — published 1840 — 169 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Two Years Before the Mast and Twenty-Four Years After (Harvard Classics, #23) by Richard Henry Dana Jr., Charles William Eliot (Editor) 4.12 of 5 stars 4.12 avg rating — 94 ratings — published 1909 — 12 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Two Years Before the Mast and Other Voyages (Library of America #161) by Richard Henry Dana Jr., Thomas Philbrick (Editor) 4.0 of 5 stars 4.00 avg rating — 41 ratings	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Seaman's Friend: A Treatise on Practical Seamanship 5.0 of 5 stars 5.00 avg rating — 8 ratings — published 1970 — 5 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	To Cuba And Back 3.64 of 5 stars 3.64 avg rating — 11 ratings — published 2007 — 5 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Speeches in Stirring Times and Letters to a Son by Richard Henry Dana Jr., Richard H. Dana III (Editor) 5.0 of 5 stars 5.00 avg rating — 3 ratings — published 2007	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Sailing Narratives: Two Years Before the Mast/Sir Francis Drake Revived by Richard Henry Dana Jr., Philip Nichols 3.67 of 5 stars 3.67 avg rating — 3 ratings	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Poems and prose writings 5.0 of 5 stars 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — published 1970 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Seaman's Friend - Containing a Treatise on Practical Seamanship, with Plates, - A Dictinary of Sea Terms, Customs and Usages of the Merchant - Service - The Original Classic Edition 0.0 of 5 stars 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — published 2013 — 2 editions	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Annotated Two Years Before the Mast by Richard Henry Dana Jr., Rod Scher (Annotations) 0.0 of 5 stars 0.00 avg rating — 0 ratings — expected publication 2013	Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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Quotes by Richard Henry Dana Jr.

“He who dares to teach must never cease to learn.”
― Richard Henry Dana Jr.

4 people liked it

“The Californians are an idle, thriftless people, and can make nothing for themselves. The country abounds in grapes, yet they buy, at a great price, bad wine made in Boston...”
― Richard Henry Dana Jr.

2 people liked it

“There is a witchery in the sea, its songs and stories, and in the mere sight of a ship, and the sailor's dress, especially to a young mind, which has done more to man navies, and fill merchantmen, than all the pressgangs of Europe.”
― Richard Henry Dana Jr., Two Years Before the Mast: A Sailor's Life at Sea

2 people liked it

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