London

The year 1794—during which Songs of Experience was published—was marked by political and social upheaval, not only in Blake’s England but in other parts of the globe. In January of that year, King George III of Great Britain delivered a speech to Parliament suggesting that Britain’s war with France should continue. In March, British troops would capture Martinique from the French. In May in France, Robespierre established the Cult of the Supreme Being as the religion of the French First Republic. The Reign of Terror also began, after chemist Antoine Lavoisier was tried, convicted, and executed by guillotine. Twenty-seven co-defendants of the ferme generale were also convicted. The French Revolution spurred the English government to begin legislating oppressive laws that drastically reduced personal freedoms. In June, British troops captured Port-au-Prince in Haiti, and at the Battle of Mykonos, the British Royal Navy captured Sybille, a French frigate. In July, Robespierre, along with Maximilien and Saint-Just, were arrested after orders from the French National Convention. They were executed the same day. In August, British troops captured Corisica, and in September, Austria, Britain, and Russia would ally against France.

Other uprisings and social revolutions would occur elsewhere in the world. Andrew Thaddeus Bonaventure Kosciuszko would make his proclamation, beginning the Kosciuszko Uprising. In Poland, the Warsaw Uprising brought massive change to the region. Polish forces would then defeat Russian forces. Other significant events include the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The United States would also enact a law providing for 15 stars and 15 stripes on the US flag after the admission of Vermont and Kentucky. The United States Senate also opened to the public for the first time.

The year 1794 also brought significant military involvement for Britain in various parts of the globe, but more directly with France. The British passed the Enlistment Act, which allowed Frenchman and other foreign fighters to enlist in the British Army. The British also experienced their first major naval victory over the French. The Ratcliffe Fire destroyed over 400 homes, and an alleged conspiracy in an attempt known as the “popgun plot” called for the assassination of King George III with a poisoned dart. Later in the year, the Treason Trials occurred in an attempt to punish and eliminate revolutionaries. Britain and the United States would also sign the Jay Treaty, which attempted to clear some issues remaining from The Revolutionary War and guarantee a peaceful relationship between the two nations.

In the context of Blake’s life, London played an imperative role not only for his career but also for the inspiration for this specific poem. Many incidents that affected the public influenced Blake’s writing. In the same year, the Ratcliffe Fire, the largest fire to take place in London between the Great Fire of 1666 and the 1940 Blitz, also took place. The fire began when an unattended kettle of pitch boiled over at Clovers Barge Yard. The fire spread quickly, and barges loaded with saltpeter soon exploded. The scene’s narrow streets, as well as the low tide, inhibited effective firefighting. It destroyed over 450 houses and left over 1400 people homeless or displaced. The incident had one building that survived—No. 2 Butcher’s Row. The Ratcliffe Fire occurred in one of East London’s riverside districts. These districts were London’s industrial scene, and fires were not uncommon.