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Charles Follen
Who was Charles Follen?
German-American educator
Biographical data adapted from Wikipedia’s article on Charles Follen (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Biography
Charles Theodor Christian Friedrich Follen was born on September 6, 1796, in Romrod, in what was then Hesse-Darmstadt. He studied at the University of Giessen and became heavily involved in the liberal nationalist movements that spread through German universities after the Napoleonic Wars. He joined and helped lead student groups called Burschenschaften, which pushed for German unification and a constitutional government. His radical political actions caught the attention of the authorities, and after being linked to political violence, he had to leave Germany in 1820. He traveled through Switzerland and France before emigrating to the United States in 1824.
Before Fame
Growing up in Hesse during a time of upheaval in Europe, Follen came of age amid the political changes after Napoleon's campaigns. At the University of Giessen, he became a vocal supporter of liberal nationalism and led student activists who pushed for democratic reform and German unity. His involvement in radical circles, including ties to people suspected of assassinating the conservative playwright August von Kotzebue, made him a target for Metternich's political crackdowns. Forced into exile, he spent several years in Switzerland teaching in Basel before eventually moving to a country that he hoped would align more with his political beliefs.
Key Achievements
- Appointed the first professor of German language and literature at Harvard University in 1825
- Ordained as a Unitarian minister, combining religious leadership with social activism
- Became a prominent figure in the American abolitionist movement and a close associate of William Lloyd Garrison
- Introduced German gymnastic practices to American universities, contributing to physical education in the United States
- Helped transmit German Christmas tree traditions to New England households
Did You Know?
- 01.Follen is credited with introducing the practice of decorating Christmas trees to New England, having brought the German tradition with him when he emigrated.
- 02.He was dismissed from his position at Harvard University in 1835 after the institution declined to renew his contract, widely attributed to pressure resulting from his outspoken abolitionist activism.
- 03.Follen died on January 13, 1840, when the steamship Lexington caught fire and sank in Long Island Sound, killing nearly all aboard.
- 04.He married Eliza Lee Cabot Follen, herself a prominent author and abolitionist, who later wrote his biography and continued advocating for the causes they shared.
- 05.Before coming to the United States, Follen taught gymnastics in Switzerland and later introduced a system of German gymnastics to Harvard students, establishing one of the first college gymnasiums in America.