William Otter's autobiography, first published in 1835, provides a rare and fascinating counterpoint to romantic notions of virtuous, respectable craftsmen in the early republic. His Life and Adventures offers an inside account of the brawling racism common in the early nineteenth century and sharply details the rowdy male subculture of the times.
Born in England and conscripted into the British Navy during the Napoleonic wars, Big Bill Otter jumped ship and came to New York City in 1801. He apprenticed as a plasterer and joined an urban gang; later he was a master...
William Otter's autobiography, first published in 1835, provides a rare and fascinating counterpoint to romantic notions of virtuous, respectable c...
