the classic of English localism is always said to be Rural Rides: William Cobbett’s a 1830 set of observations of England, praised by Chesterton, in particular.
Although penned by an Englishman, it became the chief artistic voice for the Americans’ republicanism. Washington saw Cato many times and often quoted from it. He also had it staged for dispirited troops at Valley Forge, and, when his officers threatened mutiny in 1783, he shamed them, as only he could, by reciting apt lines from the play. The play celebrates public‐spiritedness in the service of war, and so one can understand why it would resonate with Americans during the Revolution.
Updates to my recommended reading ... added to posts on these authors:
Joseph A. Ranney on Abraham Lincoln
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