1001 People Who Made America - Alan Axelrod [102]
Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth (1746–1825) The cousin of Charles Pinckney, C. C. Pinckney fought in the American Revolution and in 1796 was appointed U.S. minister to France. Refused recognition by the Directory (the French revolutionary government), he was joined in 1797 by John Marshall and Elbridge Gerry in an effort to establish diplomatic relations with the new government. French negotiators (in Pinckney’s correspondence called “X, Y, and Z”) solicited a bribe in return for official recognition. Pinckney indignantly refused, and the resulting “X, Y, Z Affair” triggered an undeclared naval war with France to protect U.S. neutrality rights and rights of navigation on the high seas. Pinckney’s steadfastness was a key to the defense of U.S. sovereignty in the earliest days of the republic.
Plath, Sylvia (1932–1963) Plath enjoyed early academic and literary success, but was plagued by suicidal depression. Her most characteristic mature work—confessional poems focusing on alienation, death, and suicide, with strong feminist undertones—were little appreciated in her lifetime, but were increasingly widely read within years after her suicide and came to be regarded as milestones in modern women’s literature.
Pocahontas (1595–1617) Pocahontas was the pet name (it meant “frolicsome”) of Matoaka, daughter of the important sachem Powhatan (Wahunsonacock), leader of some 30 tribes that lived near the Jamestown, Virginia, settlement of the English. Pocahontas was a young girl in 1607 when she saved the life of the colony’s military leader, Captain John Smith—reportedly laying her head atop the captive Smith’s to prevent him from being brained. Based on this incident, Pocahontas entered into romantic American folklore, literature, visual art, and even opera. She was an informal goodwill ambassador between the Indians and the colonists. She married colonist John Rolfe, with whom she traveled to England, where she was presented at the court of James I. She died in England of smallpox.
Poe, Edgar Allan (1809–1849) Long regarded as one of the nation’s most important writers, Poe struggled with poverty lifelong. His dark-hued, melodic lyrics earned him little money or recognition—although his best-known poem, “The Raven” (1845) did win a literary prize—and his short fiction, ranging from tales of terror to the first detective story (“The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” 1841)—did not receive wide recognition until after his death. In addition to his poetry and fiction, Poe was a major literary critic—although his criticism was frequently colored by personal prejudice.
Polk, James K. (1795–1849) Polk was elected on the Democratic ticket in 1844 and served as president from 1845 to 1849. With the party torn among Martin Van Buren, Lewis Cass, and James Buchanan, Polk emerged as a compromise candidate. Because he was relatively obscure, he was referred to as a “dark horse.” During the Polk administration, Texas was annexed, and the United States fought the U.S.-Mexican War—referred to by those who opposed it as “Mr. Polk’s War.” As a result of victory in the war, the United States acquired the Southwest, including California.
Pollock, Jackson (1912–1956) Paul Jackson Pollock—known as Jackson Pollock—made a radical break with accepted conventions of painting by developing “action” techniques, creating painting through free-associative gestures, typically using his brushes as sticks, from which the paint was dripped onto the canvas rather than applied with the bristles. Pollock’s action paintings impress the viewer as transcriptions of pure energy, and his work is considered some of the most important in 20th century art.
Ponce de León, Juan (1460–1521) This Spanish conquistador and explorer founded Caparra, the oldest settlement in Puerto Rico, and in 1513 discovered and explored Florida. His explorations were propelled in large part by a quest