Rachel Varilek Ms. Weismann Advanced English 9 April 14, 2015 “Fortune always favors the brave, and never helps a man who does not help himself.” -P. T. Barnum On July 5, 1810, Phineas Taylor Barnum was born to Philo F. Barnum and his wife, Irena, in Bethel, Connecticut (Setting). By the time he was six, he had started school. Phineas Barnum grew up on a farm, and he did not like the farm life-style at all. His father owned a small store in a little town, but Phineas’ father was not a very good business man, so the store did not last very long. His father then bought a tavern, and Phineas helped out with that as well. When Phineas was twelve he owned a sheep and a calf, sold cherry-rum to soldiers, and was hired to help on a cattle …show more content…
T. found a little boy named Charles Sherwood Stratton. Charles Stratton at the time was four years old, and he weighed only fifteen pounds and was fifteen inches tall. Barnum hired him for three dollars a week. He then received the name “General Tom Thumb” and was advertised as an eleven year old boy who had just arrived from England. Both Iago and Barnum made money by lying to others (Shakespeare). By the end of the first month of the show, Tom’s salary was raised from three dollars to seven dollars a week and then the twenty-five dollars a week. Barnum organized a tour that would travel to England so that they could perform for Queen Victoria, her family, and other important heads-of-state. They then traveled through England, France, Germany, and Belgium. Barnum and Tom toured throughout the United States and were soon known as the “most surprising and delightful curiosities the world has ever produced”. By the 1800s, he became one of the wealthiest men in the United States. Like Silas, he had a lot of wealth, but Silas was wealthy in a different way …show more content…
The section of land to the east of the river had been designated to be a new metropolis of the eastern seaboard, and it was called East Bridgeport. Barnum convinced manufacturers to move their businesses to this area. This land was perfect for Barnum’s ideal city, but due to some miscalculations during a negotiation with the Jerome Clock Company of Litchfield and New Haven, he completely lost his huge fortune (Turning Point). Barnum sold all of his properties and collections in order to get rid of the debt of the ill-fated company. Both Barnum and Pip from Great Expectations had to face a great amount of debt (Dickens). He wanted redemption, so he went to Europe to tour with Tom Thumb and devoted himself to his book, The Art of Money-Getting. It took Barnum five years to regain his monetary standings. He then repurchased his assets and properties as well as the collections and control of his American Museum. The museum housed hundreds of unusual people and creatures for thirty years. From 1842 to 1865, the American Museum advertised having 850,000 exhibits. In 1871, P.T. stepped down as director of the American