How does the structure of"Crossing Brooklyn Ferry"reflect the mid-1800s in America?

Crossing Brooklyn Ferry is a poem written by Walt Whitman. It's about crossing the East River via ferry to get from Manhattan to Brooklyn. The poem is written in free verse. There is no measure or meter to it. Similarly, mid-1800s American was a time when people clamoured for freedom and self-expression. They did not want to be bound by restrictions and norms.