1. Early American Writing I. Historical Context
BEGINNINGS TO 1800
EQ: What kinds of challenges did early Americans face? Why would writers of the time want to record these challenges?

2. Early writers described land and people
A. The Meeting of Two Worlds What was life like in America prior to the arrival of the Europeans?
Early writers described land and people
Native Americans had well-established communities when Europeans arrived
Writers chronicled Native American and European views of one another
EQ: What kinds of challenges did early Americans face? Why would writers of the time want to record these challenges?

3. B. From Colony to Country Describe the significance of these names: Jamestown, the French & Indian War, The Declaration of Independence, and The Constitution
The first permanent colony was established at Jamestown in 1607
Colonists did NOT have representation in England’s parliament and supported England economically
French and Indian war- France allied with Native Americans to drive England out of North America
Colonies declared their independence in 1776 which led to the creation of two important documents, The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States
What was life like in America prior to the arrival of the Europeans? Describe the significance of these names:

4. II. Cultural Influences and Ideas of the Age Why did many Puritans leave England and come to America?
A. Puritan Beliefs
sought to “purify” Church of England
Wished to return to simpler form of worship—more personal/ inner relationship with God
Believed they were chosen from God
Saintly “elect” would be spared from God’s punishment
Hard work. Thrift, and responsibility were seen as morally good; these qualities led to financial success and thriving settlements
Tended to be inflexible and intolerant of other faiths
Why did many Puritans leave England and come to America?

5. B. The Enlightenment How did Puritan values contribute to the success of the settlements?
Colonists began to question previously accepted truths about who should hold power in government
Led to a government “by the people”
Deism is the view that God created a well-ordered universe, controlled by immutable laws and operating without divine intervention
Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, and Thomas Jefferson were writers who questioned traditional authority
Diaries and histories were seen as important records of the workings of God
Recorded God’s works in their daily lives
Simple, plain style
Driven by religious beliefs
Define Enlightenment and Deism: How did the Enlightenment concepts that had roots in Europe affect the American colonists’ relationship with Britain

6. C. The Great Awakening
The “First Great Awakening”, led by preachers like Jonathan Edwards, joined people in the belief that a higher power was helping Americans lead an ethical life
Reason and emotionalism led people to question traditional authority, eventually leading to the break from Britain’s control
Rationalism is the belief that human beings can arrive at truth by using reason, rather than by relying on the authority of the past, on religious faith, or on intuition.

7. III. Early American Literature How did early American writing impact the colonists?
The Native American Experience
Native Americans
Were culturally diverse
Had an oral tradition
Had many genres of spoken literature
Explored common themes, such as a reverence for nature and the worship of many gods

8. Literary Style Native American oral literature
Before written language was invented, people around the world used oral tradition to preserve their literature
Historical narratives written by explorers, early settlers, and colonists
Sermons, histories, and poetry of Puritan writers
Political pamphlets that fueled the American Revolution
The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
Contributions of women writers of the time

9. B. Exploration and the Early Settlers
Explorers:
Columbus’s journals chronicle his four voyages to the Americas
Cabeza de Vaca’s La Relaciόn tells of his failed expedition
Samuel de Champlain wrote accounts of New England and the Iroquois

10. Early Settlers
Settlers described the new land for those still in Europe
Accounts helped English readers visualize North America
Colonial histories
Writers focused on the story of the new settlements and their larger purpose
Equiano, an enslaved African, described his unjust treatment

11. C. The Puritan Tradition
Puritan writers
Believed that writing should be useful and clear
Prized reason, logic, clarity, and order
Wrote histories, sermons, scientific works, and essays
Cotton Mather chronicled Salem witch trials
Delivered sermons contrasting good and evil
Johnathan Edwards wrote fiery sermons
Wrote poems with religious themes
Means of exploring the relationship between the individual and God – Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor

12. D. Writers of the Revolution
Expressed ideas of Enlightenment
Concentrated on political writing
Used pamphlets to spread ideas
Thomas Paine’s Common Sense
Focused on natural law* and human rights
People are born with rights and freedoms; it’s the government’s job to protect those freedoms
Played a key role in the creation of a new nation
Franklin, Hamilton, and Washington, among others, met and wrote the Constitution of the United States