For him, democracy was uniquely American; it was America's gift. It was not just a political idea, but also a way of life. It wasn't just a movement to improve one's political or economic standing, it was a social and moral imperative that was a force for good, no matter who you were. It was contagious; its spread could not be attenuated. It has multiplied in all aspects of daily life. He describes this remarkable occurrence in Song of Myself when he writes of democracy's similarities to the spread of grass, "Sprouting alike in wide patches and in narrow patches, / Growing among blacks as among whites, / Kanuck, Tuckahoe, Congressman, Cuff, I give them the same, / I receive them the same. (Song of Myself, 6) Democracy grows, even in the face of hardship, civil unrest, grave injustice, wickedness, and war even in contradictions, goodness ultimately flourishes, he says himself. managing to catch me in the beginning, stay encouraged, / If I miss a place, look for another, / I'll stop somewhere waiting." for you." (Song of Myself, 52) Song of Myself was first published in 1855 and revised by Whitman until 1891. Whitman, during that time, experienced America going through pre-Civil War turmoil, bloody Civil War, l the assassination of a sitting president, post-civil war reconstruction, and the transformation of cities through industrialization. Despite all the rubble, democracy somehow survived; it somehow thrived despite civil unrest, bloodshed, horror, and injustice. Whitman thought poetry could help heal a nation. Song of Myself was his offering, his