Lemuel Hopkins (June 19, 1750 – April 14, 1801) was an American poet and physician who was a member of the

Hartford Wits The Hartford Wits were a group of young writers from Connecticut in the late 18th century including John Trumbull, Timothy Dwight, David Humphreys, Joel Barlow, and Lemuel Hopkins. Originally the Connecticut Wits, the group formed in the late 1 ...

, a group of literary satirists active in the late eighteenth century. A politically conservative

Federalist The term ''federalist'' describes several political beliefs around the world. It may also refer to the concept of parties, whose members or supporters call themselves ''Federalists''. History Europe federation In Europe, proponents of deep ...

, he coauthored ''

The Anarchiad ''The Anarchiad'' (1786–87) is an American mock-epic poem that reflected Federalist concerns during the formation of the United States. ''The Anarchiad, or American Antiquities: A Poem on the Restoration of Chaos and Substantial Night'' was ...

'' (1786–1787), a lengthy satiric poem critical of popular democracy and of the

Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation, officially the Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union, was an agreement and early body of law in the Thirteen Colonies, which served as the nation's first Constitution, frame of government during the Ameri ...

. His fellow authors on the poem were three other leading Wits: David Humphreys,

Joel Barlow Joel Barlow (March 24, 1754 – December 26, 1812) was an American poet, diplomat, and politician. In politics, he supported the French Revolution and was an ardent Jeffersonian republican. He worked as an agent for American speculator William ...

, and

John Trumbull John Trumbull (June 6, 1756 – November 10, 1843) was an American painter and military officer best known for his historical paintings of the American Revolutionary War, of which he was a veteran. He has been called the "Painter of the Revolut ...

. Hopkins practiced medicine in Litchfield and

Hartford Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

and received an honorary Master of Arts degree from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

in 1784. Hopkins died of pneumonia and was interred at Hartford's Ancient Burying Ground.

References

External links

* ''The Anarchiad: A New England Poem'' - full text via the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

1750 births 1801 deaths People from Waterbury, Connecticut Physicians from Hartford, Connecticut Writers from Hartford, Connecticut Epic poets Hartford Wits Poets from Connecticut 18th-century American poets 18th-century American male writers American male poets American satirical poets Deaths from pneumonia in Connecticut {{US-poet-stub