The early American landscape had a profound influence on Walt Whitman's poetry, as he fuses themes of nature, democracy, and the human experience. His upbringing in New York and his subsequent travels across the American frontier exposed him to diverse landscapes, from bustling cities to vast fields. This immersion in the American landscape inspired his poems to celebrate the individual and the collective spirit of America. Additionally, his belief in manifest destiny and the essence of democracy shaped his vision of a uniquely American voice, reflected in works like "Leaves of Grass."