Work that we do

In A Song for Occupations (1855) Whitman brings up some relevant points about work and the American public in general.  The "workman and workwoman, charitable proprietor, or the wise statesman, the boss employing and paying you, servant or master", these are all examples of workers or work people do.  To Whitman these occupations are indiscriminate not amounting to one being superior over the other.  However,  he later takes a political turn in saying that "we thought our Union and Constitution grand", and "the President is up there in the White House for you... it is not your who are here for him..."  which implies that people need government in order to ultimately have stability in their lives, and also means that the authorities who run the government have the most  important jobs.  This conflicts with his notion that all occupations are indiscriminate.  It's interesting to think about it though since he was a supporter of Democracy despite the social and political upheaval going on at the time with slavery then the Civil War and Lincoln's assassination.  The 1856 version was not altered except for the title which he changed to Poem of the daily work of the workmen and workwomen of these states.  I guess he really wanted to exemplify the work aspect of daily American life and that work is just a part of living in general even if one works for free like an unpaid internship.