Prominent Quotations and other trivia
History of Her Captivity
During the 1670s, in the New England area,
tensions between native Americans and
European settlers escalated resulting in
King Philip’s War (1675-1676). Metacomet
(known to the settlers as King Philip), chief
of the Wampanoag Indians united with
other native tribes in order to fight and
protect their lands. On February 10, 1676, a
Wampanoag party attacked Mary
Rowlandson’s town, Lancaster,
Massachusetts (30 miles west of Boston).
As a result, Mary was taken captive. Her
captivity narrative narrates her 20 removes
(marching from one location to another).
These removes took her on a journey of
150 miles, until she was ransomed for 20
pounds on May 2, 1676. She saw the death
of her daughter and other relatives and
friends.
A Pioneer
Mary Rowlandson established two important “firsts” in
American literary history:
1. She was the first American writer to establish a new
indigenous American literary genre (the captivity
narrative).
2. She was the first woman in America to have a best seller.
Her work A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of
Mrs. Mary Rowlandson went through four editions within
its first year of publication in 1682.
Long Title
• The full title of Rowlandson's captivity narrative is among
the longest titles of literary works.
Experience
keeps a
dear school, but fools
will learn in no other.
◦ Poor Richard’s Almanack
 We
must all hang
together, or assuredly we
shall all hang separately.
◦ At signing of Declaration of Independence
◦ http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/signers/franklin.htm

Caesar had his Brutus; Charles
the First his Cromwell; and
George the Third [“Treason! Cried
the Speaker] may profit by their
example. If this be treason,
make the most of it.
 Speech on the Stamp Act, Virgina House of Burgesses

http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/colonial/jb_colonial_henry_1.html
 He
that would make his
own liberty secure must
guard even his enemy from
oppression.
◦ Dissertation on First Principles of Government
◦ http://www.ushistory.org/paine/
For bright Aurora now demands my song.
Aurora, hail, and all the thousand dyes,
Which deck thy progress through the vaulted
skies.
◦ “An Hymn to the Morning”
◦
http://www.americaslibrary.gov/jb/revolut/jb_revolut_poetslav_1.html
The
tree of liberty
must be refreshed
from time to time
with the blood of
patriots and tyrants.
 Letter to William Stevens Smith

http://millercenter.org/president/jefferson
 It
is not in the still calm of life, or
the repose of a pacific station,
that great characters are formed. .
. . . All history will convince you of
this . . . . . Great necessities call
out great virtues.
◦ Letter to her son, John Quincy Adams
◦
http://www.firstladies.org/biographies/firstladies.aspx?biography=2
 What
then is the
American, this new man?
◦ Letters from an American Farmer
 Thus
briefly sketched the
sacred RIGHTS OF MAN,
How inconsistent with the
ROYAL PLAN!
◦ “On Mr. Paine’s Rights of Man”
Taylor is a metaphysical lyricist (designating or
pertaining to the poetry of an early group of 17thcentury English poets, notably John Donne, whose
characteristic style is highly intellectual and
philosophical and features intensive use of ingenious
conceits [elaborate metaphors]and turns of wit)
whose greatest poems were forgotten and unknown
to the world for about 200 years. Taylor died in
1729; later his grandson Ezra Stiles, president of Yale
University, brought Taylor’s poetry to Yale University
library where they were forgotten until their
discovery in 1937 by Thomas H. Johnson. Today he is
considered to be the greatest American
metaphysical poet. His poetry is full of farfetched
and elaborate metaphors and similes, allusions,
puns, and paradoxes. His most famous are his
Preparatory Meditations before My Approach to the
Lord's Supper, 217 poems written as means to
meditate to prepare himself to partake of the Lord’s
Super.

What was the purpose of the Declaration of
Independence and who wrote it?
 During the summer of 1776, the Continental
Congress met in Philadelphia, and were anticipating
declaring independence from England. They
appointed a committee to write a "declaration of
independence" text - to state their grievances with
and declare our independence from England.
Committee members included Thomas Jefferson,
John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Robert R.
Livingston and Roger Sherman.

Who Wrote the Declaration of Independence?
◦ Thomas Jefferson was chosen to write the
Declaration of Independence text. He began his
work on June 11, 1776 and finished on June 28,
1776. (See a replica of Jefferson's Draft of the
Declaration of Independence) After revisions by the
committee and finally by congress, the final draft of
the Declaration of Independence text was finally
adopted on July 4, 1776.

Fun facts about the Declaration of
Independence
 The number of words in the Declaration of
Independence text is somewhere around 1337 to
1476, depending on which draft is used and rather
or not the signers, states and title are included.
Jefferson's original draft was 1817 words (not
counting signers/states), but 480 words were cut
by the Congress. For a fun exercise, you might try
counting them yourself!


A committee of five men were chosen to draft
the Declaration of Independence text. The
Second Continental Congress chose these
men on June 11, 1776.
The "Committee of Five" included John
Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson,
Robert R. Livingston and Roger Sherman.



Who refused to sign the Declaration of
Independence?
Robert Livingston refused to signed it, even
though he was one of the "Committee of
Five".
He believed that it was too soon to declare
independence and refused to sign his name Source: constitutionfacts.com

John Dickinson also refused to sign the
document Source: thedeclarationofindependence.org

Who was the main writer of the Declaration of
Independence?
◦ The Declaration of Independence text went through
several revisions before the final draft was issued.
Thomas Jefferson was the main writer of the
Declaration of Independence text.

How many men signed the Declaration of
Independence?
◦ There were 56 signers of the Declaration of
Independence text.

On April 30, 1952, the formal copy of the
Declaration of Independence text that was
signed on August 2, 1776 was delivered to
the National Archives, where it remains to
this day. This copy was believed to have been
made by Timothy Matlack, an assistant to the
Secretary of Congress. He was chosen to
make this formal copy by Congress, after the
final draft was approved on July 4th, 1776.

There is writing on the back of the
Declaration of Independence. The words
written are "Original Declaration of
Independence, dated 4th July 1776". These
words are written at the bottom of the back,
upside down. They are not invisible, nor is
there a map, as was suggested in the famous
movie National Treasure. Source: U.S. National Archives

The original Declaration of Independence text
was engrossed on parchment - animal skin
that has been specially treated with lime. Source:
U.S. National Archives


There are 26 original copies of the
Declaration of Independence text known to
exist. These were produced by John Dunlap.
Dunlap originally printed 200 copies on July
4th, 1776. These copies were printed on
paper and are referred to as "The Dunlap
Broadsides".

Where and when was the signing of the
Declaration of Independence? The formal
signing ceremony of the Declaration of
Independence text did not take place until
August 2, 1776, at Independence Hall in
Philadelphia. However, not all of the 56
signers signed that day. We celebrate July 4th
as Independence Day because that is the day
that Congress approved the final draft of the
text.

Several signers of the Declaration of
Independence text did not sign the document
during the official ceremony. They added
their signatures at a later date.

John Hancock was the first to sign the
Declaration of Independence text, and his
signature is also the largest. This is why the
phrase put "your John Hancock" became
popular.

The oldest signer of the Declaration of
Independence text was Benjamin Franklin,
who was 70 at the time of the signing

You can view an online photo of the original
formal signed copy of the Declaration of
Independence text at "The Charters of
Freedom" website. There are also images of
several of the other copies on their website,
as well as downloadable versions.


Fun Fact: The youngest signers
of the Declaration of Independence text
were only 26. They were both from
South Carolina - Thomas Lynch, Jr.
and Edward Rutledge.
Source: Library of Congress, Rare Book and
Special Collections Division, Continental
Congress & Constitutional Convention
Broadsides Collection

“Give me liberty or give me death!”

“These are the times that try men’s souls…”
On Being Brought From Africa To
America
'Twas mercy brought me from my pagan land,
Taught my beknighted soul to understand
That there's a God, that there's a Savior too:
Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.
Some view our sable race with scornful eye,
"Their color is a diabolic dye."
Remember Christians; Negroes, black as Cain,
May be refin'd, and join th' angelic train.
----Phillis Wheatley
A rare portrait of Phillis Wheatley shows her facing forward, wearing an evening
dress and jewelry. The portrait appeared in Revue des Colonies in Paris between
1834 and 1842.