American Romanticism
Overview Of Literary Time Periods
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Puritan/Colonial (1650-1750)
Revolutionary/Age of Reason (1750-1800)
Romanticism (1800-1860)
American Renaissance/ Transcendentalism
(1840-1860)
Realism (1855-1900)
The Moderns (1900-1950)
Harlem Renaissance (1920s)
Post-Modernism (1950 to present)
Contemporary (1970s-Present)
Review: Puritan/Colonial Period (1650-1750)
 Genre/Style :Sermons, religious tracts, diaries, personal narratives,
religious poems. It was written in plain style.
 Effect/Aspects :Instructive, reinforces authority of the Bible and
the church. Very little imaginative literature was produced.
 Historical Context :Puritan settlers fled England where they
were being persecuted for their religious beliefs, and came to New
England to have religious freedom.
Review: Revolutionary Period/Age of Reason
(1750-1800)
 Overview of Revolutionary Period/Age of Reason
 Genre/Style :Political Pamphlets, Travel Writing, and highly ornate
persuasive writing.
 Effect/Aspects :Patriotism and pride grows, creates unity about
issues, and creates American character.
 Historical Context :Encouraged Revolutionary War support.
Westward Expansion
1801-1861
AMERICA ESTABLISHES ITS BOUNDARIES
Big Ideas…
 Between 1801 and 1861, exploration was
encouraged as America underwent vast territorial
expansion and settlement.
 Westward migration was influenced by geography
and economic opportunity.
 Prior to the Civil War, most industrialization in
America was in the North; however, the
equipment produced in the North had an impact
on the farming society in the South.
Post-Revolutionary America
The Louisiana Purchase
 New territories added to the United States
after 1801
 Louisiana Purchase
 Jefferson bought land from France (the Louisiana
Purchase), which doubled the size of the United
States.
 In the Lewis and Clark expedition, Meriwether
Lewis and William Clark explored the Louisiana
Purchase from the Mississippi River to the
Pacific Ocean.
Lousiana Purchase
Other Territories
 Florida
 Spain gave Florida to the United States through a treaty.
 Texas
 Texas was added after it became an independent republic.
 Oregon
 The Oregon Territory was divided by the United States and Great
Britain.
 California
 War with Mexico resulted in California and the southwest territory
becoming part of the United States.
Florida, Texas, Oregon, California
Factors affecting westward expansion
 Geographic and economic factors that influenced
westward movement
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Population growth in the eastern states
Availability of cheap, fertile land
Economic opportunity, e.g., gold (California Gold Rush), logging,
farming, freedom (for runaway slaves)
Cheaper and faster transportation, e.g., rivers and canals (Erie
Canal), steamboats
Knowledge of overland trails (Oregon and Santa Fe)
Belief in the right of “Manifest Destiny”—The idea that expansion
was for the good of the country and was the right of the country
Romanticism (1800-1860)
 Overview of Romanticism
 Genre/Style :Character Sketches, Slave Narratives, Poetry,
and short stories.
 Effect/Aspects :Integrity of nature and freedom of
imagination. Emphasis on emotion and individualism
 Historical Context :Publishing expands and industrial
revolution brings new ideas.
Characteristics of American Romanticism
 Values feeling and
 Prefers youthful
intuition over reason
 Places faith in inner
experience and the
power of the imagination
 Shuns the artificiality of
civilization and seeks
unspoiled nature
innocence to educated
sophistication
 Champions individual
freedom and the worth of
the individual
 Contemplates nature’s
beauty as a path to
spiritual and moral
development
Characteristics (continued)
 Looks backward to the
 Sees poetry as the
wisdom of the past and
distrusts progress
 Finds beauty and truth in
exotic locals, the
supernatural realm, and
the inner world of the
imagination
highest expression of the
imagination
 Finds inspiration in
myth, legend, and fold
culture
The Industrial Revolution
1870-1960
MASS PRODUCTION OF POWER AND GOODS
The First and Second Industrial Revolutions
 The first, or old, Industrial Revolution took place
between about 1750 and 1870
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Took place in England, the United States, Belgium, and France
Saw fundamental changes in agriculture, the development of
factories, and rural-to-urban migration
 The second Industrial Revolution took place between
about 1870 and 1960
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Saw the spread of the Industrial Revolution to places such as
Germany, Japan, and Russia
Electricity became the primary source of power for factories,
farms, and homes
Mass production, particularly of consumer goods
Use of electrical power saw electronics enter the marketplace
(electric lights, radios, fans, television sets)
The Spread of the Industrial Revolution
 Mid-1800s – Great Britain, the world leader in the
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Industrial Revolution, attempted to ban the export of
its methods and technologies, but this soon failed
1812 – United States industrialized after the War of
1812
After 1825 – France joined the Industrial Revolution
following the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars
Circa 1870 – Germany industrialized at a rapid pace,
while Belgium, Holland, Italy, Sweden, and
Switzerland were slower to industrialize
By 1890 – Russia and Japan began to industrialize