What Are Carl Sandburg's Major Accomplishments

Carl Sandburg

“I've written some poetry I don't understand myself,” Carl Sandburg once said. Carl Sandburg was one of the most unique and passionate poets and writers in his lifetime. He received many awards and recognitions and he had many admirers. Carl Sandburg can be noted as a great man based on his early life experiences, his adult life experiences, his life as a poet, his many great achievements, and his impact on the world.

Carl Sandburg had a rough start in his early life. He was born in Galesburg, Illinois, January 6, 1878 to Swedish immigrants. In all, Sandburg had seven siblings. Very early in life, Sandburg’s name changed from “Johnson” to “Sandburg,”(Carl Sandburg). His father worked on the railroad and his family was extremely poor. Therefore, he dropped out of school at age 13 in eighth grade to work all sorts of odd jobs to help provide for his family. Years later, at age seventeen, Sandburg became a hobo and moved west, (Carl Sandburg). Sandburg then decided to join the military. He was at Puerto Rico for eight months during the Spanish-American War. after he served, being a war veteran qualified him to get a college tuition at Lombard College in his hometown, Galesburg, Illinois . Carl

Sandburg was a very hard worker in his early life.
Carl Sandburg had interesting experiences throughout his adult life. After returning from the war, “Sandburg's status as a war veteran qualified him for admission with free tuition to Lombard College in his hometown,” (Niven). He returned to Galesburg and began attending Lombard in 1902. Sandburg later left Lombard without a degree, but felt encouraged as a writer by his mentor, Philip Green Wright. He wandered the country finding ways to support himself. He soon ran out of money. Around that time, from 1902 to 1907, Sandburg “tried to launch a career on the Lyceum and traveling Chautauqua lecture circuits, specializing in orations on Whitman, Lincoln, Shaw, and the ideals of socialism,” (Niven). Sandburg moved to Wisconsin, and there, he continued campaigning for social democracy from 1907 to 1912. In Milwaukee, he met and married Lillian Steichen in 1908 in Milwaukee, Illinois. They had three children, Janet, Margaret and Helga. Carl Sandburg’s adult years add to his whole life experience immensely.
Sandburg is most famously known for his astounding poetry and writing.

He began writing pamphlets while he was at Lombard college, published Philip Green Wright. Then from 1902 to 1907, he wrote for minor journals in Chicago, (Niven). While in Milwaukee, “Sandburg composed his poetry primarily in free verse,” (Carl Sandburg). They were very unique type poems that were new and uncommon. There were many criticisms of his poetry. “...objectors cried that their six-year-old daughters could write better poetry," (Carl Sandburg). However, he also had many admirers who loved his type of poetry. For the rest of his life, Sandburg continued writing in his own style of poetry and many other works of writing. Carl Sandburg’s life as a poet was very unique and

interesting.
Carl Sandburg made a huge impact on the world of poetry. “"Trying to write briefly about Carl Sandburg," said a friend of the poet, "is like trying to picture the Grand Canyon in one black and white snapshot."(Carl Sandburg) He won many awards including the Pulitzer Prize for his volume of poems, Complete Poems (1951). He wrote his one volume book Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years and the War Years from 1953 to 1958 (Carl Sandburg Biography and Timeline). He received the Poetry Society of America gold medal for his autobiography, Always the Young Strangers. He also received the American Academy of Arts and Letters gold medal for history and he got a International United Poets Laureate award as the Honorary Poet Laureate of the United States for his poetry book, Honey and Salt. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from Lyndon B. Johnson. CArl Sandburg was phenomenal in all that he accomplished.
Although Carl Sandburg had a rough start in life, he soon grew to become one of the nation’s most beloved poets and writers. He was such an influence over so many people and showed others to be creative and passionate. “It was Sandburg, as Golden observes, who "put America on paper," (Carl Sandburg). He was a great poet, writer, father, husband, student, musician, war veteran, and much more.