Encounters and Foundations to 1800
Introduction to the Literary Period
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Fast Facts
Key Concept: Native Cultures Thrive
in America
Key Concept: The Puritans Settle in
New England
Key Concept: The Rise of Rationalism
Your Turn
Key Concept:
The Rise of Rationalism
History of the Times
• European political and social turmoil led people to question the
divine right of monarchs.
• A new movement, the Enlightenment, began to spread,
fostering a belief in rationalism.
• Rationalists believe that reason and intellect, rather than
revelation, lead to discoveries of scientific and spiritual truth.
• Inspired by rationalism, the founders of the new country set
forth ideals of religious tolerance and individual liberty.
Key Concept:
The Rise of Rationalism
Tinkerers and Experimenters
• Prominent American rationalists include: Benjamin Franklin,
Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Thomas Paine.
• Their writings reflect a rationalist
worldview.
• The most prominent rationalist work
was Franklin’s The Autobiography
Benjamin Franklin
Key Concept:
The Rise of Rationalism
Forming a New Nation
• Inspired by rationalist thought, the
founders signed the Declaration of
Independence from Britain in 1776.
• Many of the arguments in the
Declaration are based on rationalist
beliefs.
• George Washington, a rationalist, was
elected the first president of United States.
George Washington
“The Star Spangled Banner”
Key Concept:
The Rise of Rationalism
Literature of the Times
• Most American writing was in response to unfolding political and
social events: independence from Britain, the struggle of women to
gain equality with men, or the struggle of enslaved African
Americans to end slavery.
• Pamphlets, letters, and poetry were popular forms of literature.
• The most famous piece of literature of the time period was
Benjamin Franklin’s autobiography.
Key Concept:
The Rise of Rationalism
Comprehension Check
How did rationalism differ from Puritanism, and what
effect did rationalism have on the new American
political system?
[End of Section]
Collection 3 Literary Focus
Political Writing
Political Writing
The Power of Reason
The American Revolution was fueled by influential
political writings supporting independence.
The writers who
inspired the colonists’
revolt based their
arguments on the
ideals of rationalism.
Political Writing
Rationalist thinkers believe that humans
• can discover truth using reason
• can use reason to understand
natural laws and guide their lives
• need not rely only on religious
faith or intuition
The rationalist movement
marked the beginning of the
Age of Reason in Europe in
the seventeenth century.
Political Writing
The rationalists were not non-believers.
Like the Puritans…
rationalists believed that
God created the natural
world and its laws.
Unlike the Puritans…
rationalists thought the
universe operated without
divine intervention.
These beliefs—which were shared by many of
America’s Founders—are known as deism.
Political Writing
The rationalist idea that all people are free to use
reason to better their lives was part of the
justification for independence.
It’s also the foundation of the
most important political
documents in American history
and literature—
the Declaration of Independence
and the U.S. Constitution.
The Argument for Revolt
Early American leaders spread
their ideas by publishing their
words and distributing them to
the Colonists.
The Granger Collection, New York
Political Writing
Thomas Paine’s pamphlet
Common Sense, published in
1776, is considered by many to
be the most important written
work justifying independence.
Political Writing
Paine applied both rationalist
thought and deist principles
to his arguments in favor of
revolution.
Common Sense, only 47
pages long, sold 500,000
copies at a time when the
population of the Colonies
was a little over 2 million.
Political Writing
Founding a New Nation
Some early American
political writers—such as
Paine—aroused passion for
independence.
Other revolutionary leaders
used words—spoken and
written—to lay the foundation
for the new nation.
Political Writing
In 1775, as the Virginia
Convention was debating
compromise with Britain,
Patrick Henry delivered
his famous speech:
The Granger Collection, New York
“Give me liberty,
or give me death!”
Like Paine, Henry used rationalism to persuade
the delegates to arm the Colonists.
Henry’s speech was a key step on the road to
independence, and his words became a battle cry.
Political Writing
The next year, the Second Continental Congress
appointed a committee—including Thomas
Jefferson—to draft a declaration of independence.
As one of the main authors,
Jefferson infused the document
with rationalist ideals.
The authors took the ideas that
inspired their revolt and used
them as a basis for the new
government.
Independence Hall,
Philadelphia
Political Writing
The Declaration of Independence was the first
American document to describe an ideal relationship
between the people and their government.
Underlying this relationship,
which emphasized the rights of
individuals, was the rationalist
belief in humans’ capacity—
and freedom—to reason for
themselves.
Political Writing
Influences on Early American Political Writing
Early American political writing was influenced by
philosophy, beliefs, events, and even the spread
of technology:
• ideas and principles from Europe’s Age of
Reason, particularly the ideals of rationalism
• emergence of deism and its influence on
America’s leaders and writers
• conflict between British rule and American
colonists seeking independence
• spread of self-published political writing
Political Writing
Ask Yourself
1. In what ways did the philosophies of rationalism
and deism contribute to American independence?
2. What role did pamphlets and political speeches
play in the decision to declare independence
from Britain?
3. How did political writing allow individuals to
affect the development of an entire nation? How
does this power of the individual reflect the
principles upon which the United States was
founded?
[End of Section]
Collection 3 Reading Focus
Analyzing Persuasive Techniques
Identifying Persuasive Techniques
You’ve probably read an advertisement or watched
a TV commercial that made you feel that you just
had to have that product.
What aspects of the ad were
particularly persuasive? Did
it appeal to
your sense of reason?
your emotions?
Identifying Persuasive Techniques
Aren’t many of the
decisions you make
based on both your
intellect and your
feelings?
Like advertising, effective persuasive writing
often appeals to both logic and emotion.
Identifying Persuasive Techniques
Logical
appeals
use
facts
statistics
examples
to influence the
audience.
Identifying Persuasive Techniques
Emotional
use
appeals
words
images
anecdotes
to arouse the
reader’s feelings,
hopes, and beliefs.
Identifying Persuasive Techniques
Early in 1776, Patrick Henry made his famous
“Give me liberty, or give me death!” speech.
The Granger Collection, New York
Henry’s “Speech to the
Virginia Convention”
used both logical and
emotional appeals to
persuade his audience to
arm themselves against
the British.
Identifying Persuasive Techniques
Read this excerpt from Henry’s speech.
I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its
purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen
assign any other possible motives for it? Has Great Britain
any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this
accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none.
They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other. They
are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which
the British ministry have so long been forging.
Imagine what thoughts and feelings a person
hearing the speech at the time might have
experienced.
Identifying Persuasive Techniques
Notice Henry’s logical appeal when he refers to
the fact that the British are increasing the
number of armed troops in the colonies.
I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its
purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen
assign any other possible motives for it? Has Great Britain
any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this
accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none.
They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other. They
are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which
the British ministry have so long been forging.
Identifying Persuasive Techniques
Now notice his shift to an emotional appeal.
I ask gentlemen, sir, what means this martial array, if its
purpose be not to force us to submission? Can gentlemen
assign any other possible motives for it? Has Great Britain
any enemy, in this quarter of the world, to call for all this
accumulation of navies and armies? No, sir, she has none.
They are meant for us; they can be meant for no other. They
are sent over to bind and rivet upon us those chains which
the British ministry have so long been forging.
Henry knows his audience will be horrified at the
image of being chained and bound. He uses
strong, vivid language to take advantage of the
audience’s fear.
Identifying Persuasive Techniques
Patrick Henry knew exactly which details and
images would sway his audience.
How will your audience respond to your
arguments?
Patrick Henry’s words—a
blend of logical and
emotional appeals tailored
for his audience—had the
power to change history.
Identifying Persuasive Techniques
Your Turn
Read the following passage from Patrick Henry’s speech
and analyze his use of persuasive techniques. What
appeals does he employ? How can you tell?
Sir, we have done everything that could be done, to avert the
storm which is now coming on. We have petitioned; we have
remonstrated; we have supplicated; we have prostrated
ourselves before the throne, and have implored its
interposition to arrest the tyrannical hands of the ministry
and Parliament. Our petitions have been slighted; our
remonstrances have produced additional violence and insult;
our supplications have been disregarded; and we have been
spurned, with contempt, from the foot of the throne.
[End of Section]