Wikipedia:Featured article candidates/The Minute Man/archive1

The Minute Man

 * Nominator(s): Guerillero  &#124;  Parlez Moi  01:53, 28 May 2020 (UTC)

I bring an article about a statue to your attention to be reviewed. In January when the Lexington–Concord Sesquicentennial half dollar had its day on the front page, I noticed that the statue on the obverse of the coin had no article. Over the past 5 months, I have dug into the literature and have moved the article from a DYK, to a GA, and now here. -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  01:53, 28 May 2020 (UTC)

SG review

 * The statue was unveiled in 1875 for the centennial of the battle of Battle of Concord.
 * battle of Battle of ?
 * Done -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  00:07, 31 May 2020 (UTC)


 * Since then the statue has been a Suffragette symbol and a symbol of the United States National Guard and Air National Guard. It has also been used on coins such as the Lexington–Concord Sesquicentennial half dollar and the Massachusetts state quarter.
 * Since when? How about just ...
 * The statue has been a Suffragette symbol, a symbol of the United States National Guard and Air National Guard, and has been used on coins such as the Lexington–Concord Sesquicentennial half dollar and the Massachusetts state quarter.
 * I like that, done -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  00:07, 31 May 2020 (UTC)


 * It received critical acclaim and continues to be praised by commentators.
 * This feels like a vague catch-all ... is there any way to tighten it up?
 * Let me think -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  00:12, 31 May 2020 (UTC)


 * noticed that the pose is very similar to the pose of the
 * Very similar = similar: redundant?
 * I replaced it with resembles which makes the sentence less wordy -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  00:07, 31 May 2020 (UTC)

I see Ceoil is still ceing, so I'll pop in after he is done for more. Sandy Georgia (Talk)  20:10, 30 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Continuing
 * because he was a local and had family connections.
 * Had family connections to what or whom? The battle?  The committee?
 * I clarified -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  03:38, 3 June 2020 (UTC)


 * The pose of The Minute Man was made more natural in the enlargement process by working with models.
 * passive voice ... in fact a lot of passive voice in that paragraph ...
 * I think Ceoil clear up most of the passive voice issues -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  03:38, 3 June 2020 (UTC)


 * In the audience during the unveiling were dignitaries such as Ulysses S. Grant and Ralph Waldo Emerson.
 * Reverse? Dignitaries were ... in the audience ?


 * The movement of the new statue was made more fluid and natural.
 * Passive voice again ... French did this, right? It's not clear why passive voice is used.
 * Fixed -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  03:38, 3 June 2020 (UTC)

That's all I've got. is a more competent writer than I am, so I defer to him on all aspects and will wait to hear from others on comprehensiveness. Sandy Georgia (Talk)  18:26, 31 May 2020 (UTC)
 * PS, just curious, why is an American article using dmy rather than mdy dates? Do you want me to run a script to switch? Sandy Georgia  (Talk)  18:55, 31 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I have been a fan of dmy, but I wouldn't object to it being moved to mdy -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  03:38, 3 June 2020 (UTC)

Leaning support, pending resolution of additional source from Wehwalt; please ping me if I forget to weigh in once Wehwalt is satisfied. Sandy Georgia (Talk)  20:56, 4 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Support, nice work, Guerillero! Sandy Georgia  (Talk)  18:05, 14 June 2020 (UTC)

Source review - spotchecks not done
 * "It was created between 1871 and 1874" - body suggests that the 1871 version was related but not the sculpture under discussion, so on that basis I'd suggest not making this claim
 * Would you say 1872 when French received the commission? -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  00:07, 31 May 2020 (UTC)
 * I cited the 1871 date -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  21:21, 4 June 2020 (UTC)
 * FNs 25 and 26 should use pp
 * Done -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  00:12, 31 May 2020 (UTC)
 * The Concord Saunterer is stated to be a journal of Thoreau scholarship; can you elaborate on why it was chosen to be cited here? Seems a bit odd. Nikkimaria (talk) 22:41, 30 May 2020 (UTC)
 * The article came up in my JSTOR search and the reported story about the appropriation of the statue was interesting to me. Several people who intersect with French, including Ralph Waldo Emerson and Louisa May Alcott, were friends of Thoreau and are considered Transcendentalists or closely related. While he had died by the time the statue was created, this connection and the fact that the events happened in Thoreau's hometown of Concord makes the journal fit. The story isn't unprecedented in the sources; Holzer 2019 mentions the scuffle during the unveiling that lead to the appropriation. -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  00:07, 31 May 2020 (UTC)

Ceoil
Placeholder. Have read about half, and made trivial edits. Impressions are good...well written, short but to the point. Ceoil (talk) 13:17, 31 May 2020 (UTC)
 * All sources are first rank and high quality; impressively are all from dead trees. Ceoil  (talk) 18:25, 31 May 2020 (UTC)
 * Support. On prose and quality of sources. Any quibbles i had were fixed directly. Nice work. Ceoil  (talk) 22:27, 1 June 2020 (UTC)

Wehwalt
I can hardly not review this, given your numismatic introduction.
 * "only considered Daniel Chester French for The Minute Man because he was a local" I would simply say he was from Concord.
 * Done -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  14:12, 4 June 2020 (UTC)
 * " Several architects submitted designs to the town, including French's brother, but the design was won by James Elliot Cabot.[19][20" I would say "competition" rather than "design".
 * Done -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  14:12, 4 June 2020 (UTC)
 * "On the front, it is inscribed with the third and fourth verse of Ralph Waldo Emerson's Concord Hymn.[21]" It's the whole first stanza isn't it?
 * This is what the sources say "The statue's includes an inscription of Emerson's 1837 poem "Concord Hymn" with the famous lines "Here once the embattled farmers stood, And fired the shot heard round the the world" (3-4)." Richardson 2015 "The pedestal inscribed with the tag from Emerson's "Concord Hymn" thus memorializes these "embattled farmers" confronted and oppressed by an unwelcome presence from the start: "By the rude bridge that arched the flood,/Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,/Here once the embattled farmers stood,/And fired the shot heard round the world." Kowalski 2007 "As a finishing touch, artisans "chiseled and lettered" the pedestal's front panned with the stirring first stanza of Emerson's beloved July 4, 1837, poem, "Concord Hymn": "By the rude bridge that arched the flood,/Their flag to April's breeze unfurled,/Here once the embattled farmers stood,/And fired the shot heard round the world." Holzer 2019 I will change it to the first stanza. -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  14:12, 4 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Apparently, the statue is meant to represent Isaac Davis (soldier)? Our article on him goes into some detail on this and the use of Davis's descendants and plow as models but I see no mention here.--Wehwalt (talk) 23:29, 3 June 2020 (UTC)

A few more things on second look.
 * The claim that Davis was the model did not appear at all in my research. The sources I have claim that he worked with unidentified models in Boston or himself for the statue. It appears that the claim comes from a rare 1945 pamphlet (that we would consider self-published today). I have searched, and there are no digital copies. I guess I could go down to the Library of Congress (the closet loction to me with a copy) when COVID-19 clears up, but if it were true I would expect one of the books or journal articles to mention it. -- In actu (Guerillero) Parlez Moi 03:48, 4 June 2020 (UTC)
 * LoC's copy is tagged as missing. The closet copies are in Princeton and NYC. Unless someone can get me prints from the New York Public Library's microfilm version or a library is crazy enough to ILL it, I think the book is unobtainable. I find it hard to believe that the article's author had access to such a rare book. All but 1 copy (of 14) is east of the Mississippi River according to worldcat. There is what claims to be a reprint on Amazon, but it has a new copyright date, an additional author, and is published by a weird press in Montana which has an unhelpful website. -- In actu (Guerillero) Parlez Moi 04:06, 4 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Fair enough. This source goes through how the statue came to be in some detail and does not mention Davis as the inspiration.--Wehwalt (talk) 07:21, 4 June 2020 (UTC)
 * There is a report from the Secretary of the Interior in 1959 that discusses the history of the Concord monuments if you are interested (I got it from Congressional Pro-Quest) you can send me an email.--Wehwalt (talk) 08:07, 4 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Emailed -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  14:13, 4 June 2020 (UTC)
 * The source was helpful with some dates and names. Thank you, -- Guerillero  &#124;  Parlez Moi  21:16, 4 June 2020 (UTC)
 * "Battle of Concord" is not linked on first usage.
 * fixed -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  04:16, 10 June 2020 (UTC)
 * It might be helpful in the history section to have a few words explaining the battle. British sought to prevent Americans from crossing the bridge, Americans fired, First American victory, possibly a mention of Lexington a few hours earlier.
 * Do we have an explanation as to why the sculpture is bronze while the cannons were brass? I realize they are basically the same thing.
 * I haven't seen anything in the sources -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  04:16, 10 June 2020 (UTC)
 * How solid is the source that says that the cannons were donated because the Town of Concord lacked money? There's no mention of it in the resolution or in the (very brief) congressional debates) and they authorized a lot of money to be spent on the centennial celebration, judging by this. Copper prices in 1874 seemed to be about $500 a ton, and given what Concord spent on the centennial, I suspect they could have afforded the cost of metal.
 * It appeared in several sources. I can give you the quotes if you would like -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  04:16, 10 June 2020 (UTC)
 * No need.--Wehwalt (talk) 06:06, 10 June 2020 (UTC)
 * The image in that source may be of the model and is certainly the best rendering showing such things as the minuteman's facial expression. Regrettably it is perforated but possibly you can find it elsewhere. Also, there is some useful background in there.
 * "The statue is 7 feet (2.1 meters) tall and depicts a minuteman at the Battle of Concord." He is not at the battle, he is on his field (thus his plow) and is about to go to the militia assembly that preceded the battle.
 * Done -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  19:04, 10 June 2020 (UTC)
 * "and stepping forward toward the impending battle.[5]" Similar point.
 * I clarified -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  19:04, 10 June 2020 (UTC)
 * You might explain how the minutemen got their name. The subject of the statue is, after all, leaving his plow at a moment's notice to go assemble for battle.
 * I will put together an expanded background section. I find it hard to balance our summary style with wiki links with the need to provide information -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  17:22, 5 June 2020 (UTC)
 * I think that would be helpful. I suspect that Lexington and Concord are less learned about than they used to be.--Wehwalt (talk) 17:47, 5 June 2020 (UTC)
 * What do you think? -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  04:16, 10 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Looks OK. I might mention Paul Revere. Also why the colonials sought to cross the Old North Bridge.--Wehwalt (talk) 06:06, 10 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Done -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  19:04, 10 June 2020 (UTC)
 * "Steve Maas of The Boston Globe suggests that French avoided the celebration in case the statue was panned by contemporary critics.[4]" colorful, but you're using a recent bio of French. What does that say?
 * The same thing. I will make a switch -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  17:56, 8 June 2020 (UTC)
 * In your description of the 1836 ceremony, I would mention that Emerson was part of it, as he recited or sang "Concord Hymn", which was, I believe, composed for that purpose. I would nail down for the reader that fact and a mention of the first stanza, especially "fired the shot" etc.
 * Done -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  19:04, 10 June 2020 (UTC)
 * "The Minute Man has been depicted on United States coins since it debuted. It appears on the obverse of the Lexington–Concord Sesquicentennial half dollar which was minted in 1925.[34] The statue also appears on the reverse of the 2000 Massachusetts state quarter next to an outline of the state.[35]" The first sentence of this passage seems a bit off. It appeared on coins 51 and 126 years after its debut.
 * Switched to The Minute Man has been depicted on United States coins twice. -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  17:56, 8 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Hopefully that's everything.--Wehwalt (talk) 14:14, 5 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Support Looks good.--Wehwalt (talk) 20:00, 14 June 2020 (UTC)

Coord note
Hi, I gather this would be your first FA if successful, so I'd like to see a spotcheck of sources for accurate use and avoidance of plagiarism or close paraphrasing. Any of the above reviewers can volunteer for this, or you can place a request at the top of WT:FAC. Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 06:42, 14 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Wish I could help, but they are all hard print sources. Sandy Georgia  (Talk)  18:05, 14 June 2020 (UTC)
 * I have most of the articles, Gross 2011 and Ganz, and can access the newspapers; the question is, have I got a conflict of interest at the moment? ——  Serial # 18:25, 14 June 2020 (UTC)
 * IF you think you might, declare it for the Coords and let them decide :) Methinks you can be trusted to check sources :) Sandy Georgia  (Talk)  19:11, 14 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Agree. Serial if you can do a source review that would be great. Ceoil  (talk) 21:03, 14 June 2020 (UTC)
 * I must be slow on the uptake because I don't know why they'd be a COI -- of course with SN anything is possible... ;-) Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 22:07, 14 June 2020 (UTC)
 * It's a kind of Schrödinger's cat COI :)   ——  Serial # 11:39, 15 June 2020 (UTC)

I would be happy to have you do spotchecks, SN -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  22:59, 14 June 2020 (UTC)

Source review (pass)

 * Formatting
 * I've never quite understood why some things (usually websites, newspapers I think) omit the sfn-citation style when that's otherwise prominent, but that's not an opposable concern: too many other seasoned FACkers do it for me to complain! Yet, it always seems a shame to spoil the clean lines of the "Citation" list for no reason.
 * Zarzeczny's entry should show the chapter's page range.
 * Earwig's copyvio detector raises no concerns : the similarities are all nouns, titles or quotes (with the minor exception that I'd suggest making "in case the statue was panned" into a direct quote).

Partly due to what I can access, it's only about a third of the ~70 discrete citations, but there were no red alerts or issues raised. These are mostly minor tweaks of wording, page or date etc. Otherwise, the sourcing and its usage is sound; I found no major works unused that one would otherwise expect to see here.Incidentally—source rev. hat firmly off—it's probably worth mentioning that Kipling visited the statue in the 1890s and declared himself "very near to choking" at the symbolism of the battlefield: "Much was at play for Kipling as he contemplated the statue of the minuteman", notes Christopher Benfey. Must've made an impact.Anyway, nice article; give us a shout when you've been able to look over the points above. —— Serial # 15:54, 15 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Source review
 * Wow. Sandy Georgia  (Talk)  17:06, 15 June 2020 (UTC)
 * That is one hell of a comprehensive spotcheck, tks SN! Cheers, Ian Rose (talk) 22:01, 15 June 2020 (UTC)


 * Thank you, Serial Number 54129. I will take a look tonight. Can you send me the Benfey citation about Kipling? -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  17:37, 15 June 2020 (UTC)

Kipling has been added my replies are here -- Guerillero &#124;  Parlez Moi  00:10, 16 June 2020 (UTC)
 * Zarzeczny: Done
 * Quote: done
 * 4: I took the "two and a half days a week" as having to show up three times a week. I can move it back towards the source if that seems off to you
 * 7: Changed to ordered a preemptive strike on Concord and changed to 112-113
 * 10: I don't own a physical kindle. I read books through read.amazon.com; at the bottom of the screen shows a page number. I've been using those numbers. The pagination is weird, but they were as good as I could get. The format doesn't make it easy. I wish the classicist got their way and we had line numbers. I rechecked my page numbers and I stand by them.
 * 27: Since it was the approved clay model and both Tolles and Holzer mention the second one was approved, Richman was talking about the second model. I'm going to replace with Holzer because he is the most explicit
 * 33: The exact date is in Boston National Historic Sites Commission 1959
 * 35: This came from Tolles 1999 "If the Minute Man statue reveals protean elements of the Beaux-Arts style, the reworked statuettes reflect a confident command. The result bespeaks the sculptor's added years of experience and recent tenure in Paris: sharpened, more expressive facial features, greater attention to textural variation, and a more animated play of light and shadow on fluid surfaces." I added the citation and made Beaux-Arts in italics.
 * 37b: I have no idea and the edit that added it isn't helpful. After some more searching, this is from Holzer. Changed.
 * 38a: I will take another look
 * 40: This is what taft said about the statue "It is interesting to note what this statue, so alert and so American in character, owes to its senior colleague of the Belvidere [sic]. One can hardly believe it, yet with the exception of the left arm, the pose is almost identical" (Richman 1972, p. 99) meta culpa on the centuries
 * 44b: Today I learned
 * 47: I already sate that the article was published in 1922. "One of the" is a one of the Words to Watch so I tried to attribute it. (I can walk to the monument from my apartment in 15 minutes or so. No image does it justice)
 * 52: I added a gallery
 * 55: Done
 * Good work, nice selection of images, Kipling a bonus, all queries resolved. Thanks very much for this. ——  Serial # 14:53, 18 June 2020 (UTC)

--Ealdgyth (talk) 14:54, 20 June 2020 (UTC)