“The true artist is in humanity, what are called bad manners are often the most picturesque and significant of all”(http://www.egs.edu, ND,¶ 11) quotes Walt Whitman, one of the most extravagant and outspoken poets of his time. As a far-sighted revolutionary, Whitman received both praise and scorn from those around him. Although he did not create free verse poetry, Whitman was a major owner of its growing popularity during the late 1800s. Whitman is often described as the father of free verse and modern poetry, his writing is devoid of all the traits traditional styles of this period and was one of the first to popularize the unconventional style. Whitman's life began as the world heralded a new era, the 19th century. The year Whitman was born, Alabama was accepted into the union as the twenty-second state. The rapid expansion of the United States during this period influenced most of the writings of this period, including Whitman's poetry. (http://worldhistoryproject.org/1819/12/14/, ND,¶ 1) Westward expansion was not the only geographic shift that occurred in this period, but also included migration from rural areas to “metropolises.” urban and the change from agriculture to industry as a source of the nation's economy. The allure of city life did not escape Whitman Sr.'s attention, and a few years after the change, the Whitman family was on their way to Brooklyn. Welcoming the family to the city marked the end of a yellow fever epidemic; the family arrived in town late enough to avoid contagion, but not late enough to avoid seeing the devastation they had left behind. The crippled and the dead frequented the streets of Brooklyn at this time, and those left standing mourned their loved ones taken by the sick... in the middle of the paper... in the same place the commas would have been read again without the necessary sound of hesitation. Whitman was not well understood in his day, and his writing style was considered childish and obscene, but what was once considered overly simplistic and droll is now considered literary noble, and the writer one of the greats. Part of this successful transition can be attributed to Whitman himself, for using obtuse allegory, refusing to date his poetry with the hallmarks of that century, and going against traditional poetic standards. His poetry was used a century later, particularly the lyrics of the group of 45 poems "Calamus", to become the manifesto of the gay liberation movement of the 1970s, (http://www.us-history.com/ pages/h3833 .html, ND, ¶ 9) demonstrating that, despite not being the most popular while alive, Walt Whitman left his undisputed mark on the history of poetry.