E N G L I S H I I
A M E R I C A N L I T E R A T U R E
F R O M M C D O U G A L L I T T E L L A M E R I C A N
L I T E R A T U R E ( 2 0 0 8 )
P P . 1 4 - 2 9

In YOUR OWN WORDS define the following:
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Puritans
Enlightenment
Oral Tradition

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What factors shape our values and beliefs?
What happens when belief systems of societies and 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?

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Historical Context
Cultural Influences
Ideas of the Age
Early American
Literature

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.
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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.

The Meeting of Two
Worlds (continued)
 Millions of people lived in the Americas on the eve of the arrival of the
Europeans.
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Early writers wrote about how the Europeans and the Native Americans viewed each other and the Northern American land.

From Colony to Colony
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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

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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.

A Break with England
 The British tried to tax the colonist to recover some of the costs from the war
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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

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.

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.

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
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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

Native Americans
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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

The Puritan Tradition
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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

Puritan Poetry
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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
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Jonathan Edwardswrote about the dangers of sinful ways
“Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”

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