Reproduction reprint: An Oration, Delivered Before The Citizens of Portland, And The Supreme Judicial Court In The Commonwealth of Massachusetts, On the Fourth Day of July 1799; Being the Anniversary of American Independence. By Amos Stoddard. Originally Printed and Sold by E.A. Jenks, Portland, Massachusetts, 1799.

This reproduction was laboriously created by an ancestral relative of Amos Stoddard from a copy of the original with the intent of honoring Amos Stoddard’s efforts, words and thoughts. Every effort was made in the process of recreating this publication to duplicate the original work and to respect authenticity. Grammar, spelling, punctuation and formatting are as original. This is a reproduction and not a modern copy.

This is a reproduction of an oration given by Capt. Amos Stoddard on July 4, 1799 at Portalnd, Massachusetts (today, Maine). His notes were then printed and sold ny E.A. Jenks at Portland. The subject matter of Capt. Stoddard’s oratory is primarily about the political tensions of the day, and is expressed from the perspective of a veteran of the American Revolution, a current military officer, and a supporter of Washington and Adams and of the Federalist Party. Capt. Amos Stoddard honorably served as a military officer from May 28, 1798 until his death on May 11, 1813. He died during the Siege of Fort Meigs (Ohio) during the War of 1812.

The story of the life of Amos Stoddard, as part autobiography and part biography, is told in the book, The Autobiography Manuscript of Major Amos Stoddard, Edited and with an Introduction by Robert A. Stoddard.