Go West, Young Man?

One of the most famous phrases of the 19th century, “Go West, young man!” reportedly inspired thousands of Eastern Americans to find their fortunes beyond the Mississippi. The statement perfectly conjures up Western expansion and manifest destiny. Hold your horses, though. The phrase may be a great one, but its origin is iffy. Tradition claims newspaperman Horace Greeley came up with the line, probably in his 1850 book Hints Toward Reform. Or maybe he used it in an 1860s editorial in his