Humanity Life

𝘐𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘧 ‘𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺,’ 𝘢 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘯𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘳𝘦, 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘥𝘶𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘜𝘚 𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘢𝘳 𝘨𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨.

William McCarty Little (1845–1915) was born to wealthy New York City parents who often vacationed in Newport, Rhode Island. Little took a liking to the coastal city and, more importantly, the ocean itself. His affinity for the sea and naval matters would lead him to become one of the most important naval officers and instructors in American history.

𝗔𝗻 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴

Little began his naval career inside the classroom at the United States Naval Academy, which, due to the Civil War, was moved from Annapolis, Maryland, to his more familiar surroundings of Newport. Little graduated in 1866, shortly after the end of the war (the school had returned to Annapolis by this time). While studying at the Academy, he met an officer who would leave a lasting impact on the U.S. Navy and Little himself—Stephen B. Luce, who eventually rose to the rank of rear admiral.
Little served aboard numerous ships over the years, including vessels of the North Atlantic Squadron. A career in the Navy, however, didn’t promise quick promotion. It was considered the “dark ages” of the military branch, but this didn’t keep Little from impressing many of his fellow and superior officers.

He was a talented seaman who took education on naval matters seriously. He spoke and wrote several languages fluently, including French, a benefit of growing up with family property in France. Additionally, he was handsome, charming, and consistently presented himself professionally while in uniform. These qualities also helped him earn the hand of Anita Chartrand, the daughter of a prominent Cuban family in Newport.

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𝘍𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘱𝘰𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘍𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘍𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘨𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯.

In his new book “Rage and the Republic: The Unfinished Story of the American Revolution,” law professor and media presence Jonathan Turley again and again echoes this question first raised by Frenchman Michel Guillaume de Crèvecoeur. In 1765, de Crèvecoeur became a citizen of colonial New York, and to symbolize his new status, he changed his name to J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur. He won renown both at home and abroad for his book of essays, “Letters From an American Farmer.”

In one essay, de Crèvecoeur asks, “What then is the American, this new man?” He responds with answers like this one: “Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause great changes in the world.”

De Crèvecoeur concludes his essays with this comparison of the old world and the new:

“The American is a new man who acts upon new principles; he must therefore entertain new ideas and form new opinions. From involuntary idleness, servile dependence, penury, and useless labor, he has passed to toils of a very different nature, rewarded by ample subsistence. This is an American.”

With the 250th celebration of the signing of the Declaration of Independence at hand, now is a fine time to look back at our ancestors, near and far, and listen to what they had to say about being an American.

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