1. Literary Movements: Age of Enlightenment (Age of Reason): 1685-1815
Major Writers: Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin
Romanticism:
Major Writers: Edgar Allen Poe, Henry Longfellow, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau
Naturalism:
Major Writers: Mark Twain, Jack London, Hart Crane, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson

2. American Romanticism 2

3. Westward Expansion 1803—Louisiana Purchase—doubles the size of the US.
Westward expansion forces Native Americans off of their land.
“Manifest Destiny”—the belief that the US should spread from the Atlantic to the Pacific; land taken forcibly from Mexico
Mexican-American War 1845—US wins and takes remaining land from Mexico 3

4. Industry Industrial Revolution took hold in early 1800s
Factory jobs pulled many into the cities of the North
Harsh working conditions
Expansion of slavery to keep up with demand for cotton
Romantic Writers reacted to industrialization by turning away from cities and focusing on the beauty of nature 4

5. Human Rights
Romantic writers strongly opposed slavery, and frequently wrote against it
Romantics helped to raise the consciousness of Americans against the idea of slavery
Workers and women also began to organize at this time against the harsh conditions of the factories and the treatment of child workers
The Romantics were also at the center of these reforms

6. Characteristics of Romantic Literature
Inspired by nature
Celebrated the human spirit
A focus on emotions, imagination, and individualism
Poetry was a form of entertainment in the 1800s— ”Fireside Poets” wrote poems celebrating history and nature
Short Stories also became popular during this time 6

7. Transcendentalists
Transcendentalists celebrated simple living and a connection to nature
Believed every person should trust his or her inner truth—individual integrity is more important than laws or governments
“Civil Disobedience” came out of this period
Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau were the most well-known in this movement 7

8. Prominent American Romantic Writers
Washington Irving
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Edgar Allan Poe 8