Transcript American Lit Historical Overview

Early American Writing
Historical Context
1600-1800
ENGLISH II
AMERICAN LITERATURE
FROM MCDOUGAL LITTELL AMERICAN
LITERATURE (2008)
PP.14-29
Bell Ringer
In YOUR OWN WORDS
define the following:
 Puritans
 Enlightenment
 Oral Tradition
Essential Questions
 What factors shape our values and beliefs?
 What happens when belief systems of societies and
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individuals come into conflict?
Is freedom ever free?
What is the relationship between freedom and
responsibility?
How do authors use the resources of language to impact
an audience?
How does literature reveal the values of a given culture or
time period?
How does the study of fiction and nonfiction texts help
individuals construct their understanding of reality?
Overview
 Historical Context
 Cultural Influences
 Ideas of the Age
 Early American
Literature
Historical Context
The Meeting of Two Worlds
 Early American writers concentrated on describing
and trying to make sense of their challenging new
environment and unfamiliar people with whom they
shared it.
 Writers used letters, diaries, and reports back home
to describe this historical turning point.
 Unknown to Europeans, people had been living in
the Americans for at least tens of thousands of years.
Historical Context
The Meeting of Two
Worlds (continued)
 Millions of people lived
in the Americas on the
eve of the arrival of the
Europeans.
 Early writers wrote about
how the Europeans and
the Native Americans
viewed each other and
the Northern American
land.
Historical Context
From Colony to Colony
 First permanent colony
was established in
Jamestown in 1607
 By 1733, English colonies
stretched all along the
Atlantic coast
 Colonies increasing
became self reliant and
developed their own local
rules
Historical Context
Loyalty to England
 The first colonists were loyal to Britain. They supported
England economically by exporting raw materials to their
homeland and importing Britain’s manufactured goods.
 Britain returned the favor by protecting its territories in
America. For example, it sent soldiers to fight during the
French and Indian War (1759-1763), when France allied
with Native American groups to send the British out of
North America.
 After a long war, Britain claimed all of North America
east of the Mississippi River.
Historical Context
A Break with England
 The British tried to tax the
colonist to recover some of
the costs from the war
 Colonists rejected this
request crying “no taxation
without representation.”
 In 1776, the colonists
declared themselves to be
free and independent of
British control by defeating
them in the Revolutionary
War
Cultural Influences
Religion was the most influential cultural force
on writers of this time period. Puritan values
and beliefs directed people’s everyday lives as
well as the formation of an American society.
Puritans: were a group of English Protestants who
had sought to “purify” the Church of England and
return to simpler ways of worshipping. Their efforts
were not welcome in England.
Many Puritans left the country to escape persecution.
The Puritans
Puritan settlers believed themselves chosen by God to
create new order in America.
John Winthrop wrote in 1630 that “we must
consider that we shall be as a City upon a hill. The
eyes of people are upon us.”
Puritan Values directed every aspect of their lives.
They saw the human struggle with sin as a daily
mission and believed that the Bible would help them
through that sin.
Hard work, thrift, and responsibility were seen
as morally good.
Ideas of the Age
The Enlightenment
 Burst of intellectual
energy known as the
Enlightenment
 Questioned previously
accepted truths about
who should hold power
Writers: Benjamin
Franklin, Thomas Paine,
Thomas Jefferson
The Great Awakening
 People worried Puritan
values were being lost
 Preachers such as
Jonathan Edwards
called for people to
refocus on the Puritan
vision
 People joined together to
uphold Puritan beliefs
Early American Literature
Native Americans
 300 different Native
American cultures when
the Europeans arrived
 200 different languages
spoken
 Native American history,
legends, and myths were
entrusted to memory and
passed from generation
to generation through
oral tradition
Explorers and Early
Settlers
 Settlers described the
new land to those in
Europe
 Accounts helped English
readers visualize North
America
Early American Literature
The Puritan Tradition
 Believed writing should
be used to help readers
understand the Bible and
guide them through their
daily lives
 Logic, clarity, and order
are often themes in
Puritan works
 Direct, powerful, plain
language
The Puritan Tradition
Puritan Poetry
 Viewed poetry as a
means of exploring the
relationship between the
individual and God
 Anne Bradstreetlearning, faith, love for
husband and children
 Edward Taylor-poetry as
aids and meditations,
used nature
Sermons and Other
Writings
 Jonathan Edwardswrote about the dangers
of sinful ways
 “Sinners in the Hands of
an Angry God”
Writers of the Revolution
Pamphlets and Propaganda: political writings that
became the “fuel” for the revolution. Between 1763
and 1783 about 2000 pamphlets were published
(Thomas Paine)
Writings that Launched the Nation
Declaration of Independence, The Constitution
Voices of the People
Phillis Wheatley-Natural Rights
Abigail Adams- Rights for all citizens