1. Beginnings to 1750 Historical Background

2.  The beginning of the American literary heritage can be traced back to the first written works of the colonists at Jamestown and the extensive oral literature of Native Americans.

3. Native Americans  Now believed to have come from Asia across the Bering Strait  Different phases of migration account for the different linguistic and cultural groups  Lived in the Americas for thousand of years before Europeans arrived  They introduced the colonists to maize, beans, squash, maple sugar, snowshoes, toboggans, and birch bark canoes.  They provided instruction in agriculture and woodcraft

4. Pilgrims and Puritans  Puritans, religious reformers, came on the Mayflower in 1620  Because they were not able to “purify” the Church of England, they left  They did not like its ceremonies, stained glass windows, etc.  The Church of England was inseparable form the country’s government  They were referred to as Separatists or Pilgrims  They landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts, and survived largely because of help from Native Americans

5.  The Massachusetts Bay Colony eventually merged with them  John Winthrop was governor of the colony  MBC was also founded by religious reformers, but these did not withdraw from the Church of England.  Their intention was to reform the church from within through forming a “city on the hill”  This was to be a community guided in all aspects by God, a theocracy

6.  Puritans were to serve as a model for all other people to see how exemplary lives  Religion affected every aspect of Puritan life, although they were not always as stern and otherworldly as they are sometimes thought  Their writings reveal an occasional sense of humor, and the hardships of daily life forced them to be practical  They were radical in their desire to demand fundamental changes in the Church of England  They were conservative in their literal interpretation of the Bible and insisting on rigid standards for full church membership

7.  They believed in predestination – John Calvin’s doctrine that God had already decided who will achieve salvation and who will not  Through the “Puritan ethic”, one could accomplish good only through continual hard work and self-discipline  They believed that human exist for the glory of God and that the Bible is the sole expression of God’s will.

8.  Puritans –single-minded visionaries convinced of the rightness of their beliefs –practical and businesslike –Christian worship and church organization should be simplified to resemble Biblical models –religion was a personal experience –no one needed clergy or government to intercede for him with God –everyday world and spiritual world were closely intertwined –a spiritual compact between God and man paved the way for American constitutional democracy –emphasized education so that people could read and understand the Bible and follow religious debates

9.  Four Puritan qualities –valued self-reliance –industriousness –temperance –simplicity

10.  In the early 1700’s, Puritanism was in decline throughout New England, as more liberal Protestant congregations attracted followers  The Great Awakening, a series of religious revivals 1720, was led by ministers Jonathan Edwards an George Whitefield began to change the colonists  In spite of this, Puritan ideals of hard work, frugality, self-improvement, and self- reliance are still regarded as basic American virtues

11. Southern Planters  Southern colonies differed from New England in climate, crops, social organization, and religion  Rather than small farms, there were large plantations, housing as many as a thousand people  Slaves worked on the plantations  The first black slaves were brought to Virginia in 1619, a year before the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth  Slavery existed in every colony, including Massachusetts

12.  Plantation owners thought of themselves as aristocrats  Like Puritans, the first generation of owners were ambitious, energetic, self-disciplined, and resourceful  By 1750, Puritanism was declining everywhere, and the plantation system in the south was reaching its peak

13. The Earliest American Literature  Native American’s oral tradition  Puritans and their preoccupation with sin and salvation  Enslaved and free African Americans  Southern planters with their busy social lives  Colonists also read literature from England

14. Native American Tradition  Originally viewed as folklore  Song lyrics, hero tales, migration legends, and accounts of the creation were studied for content rather than literary qualities  Oral tradition often changes work over time  Oratory was a valued skill among Native Americans  Well-known orators were Logan and Red Jacket

15.  One common characteristic in the many myths, legends, and folk tales, is the deep respect for nature  Tribal language influenced America –road signs –cities –counties –states

16. Explorers’ Accounts  Columbus recorded his experience in the New World in a journal  Spaniard Alvar Numez Cabeza de Vaca landed with an expedition on the west coast of Florida. He explored the Texas area for eight years and never returned. He narrative of his journeys through Texas is a gripping adventure story and an account of the indigenous people. Plants and animals new to Europeans were also described.  Lopez de Cardenas was the first European to see and describe the Grand Canyon

17. Slave Narrative  Olaudah Equiano came to America as a slave  He later purchased his freedom, settling in New England and working to abolish slavery  He wrote a narrative about his life and slaves journeying to America

18. “In Adam’s Fall/We Sinned All”  Puritans typically wrote theological studies, hymns, histories, biographies, and autobiographies  Their purpose was to provide spiritual insight and instruction  Puritans also wrote journals for themselves  In their journals, they often examined aspects of their lives  Diaries were considered the most common forms of expressions in society because they directly expressed the working of God. They kept a close watch on both the inner and outer events of their lives and wrote about these events in diaries and histories.

19.  Puritans considered fiction and drama as sinful  Poetry was written by Puritans as a vehicle of spiritual enlightenment  The message rather than the literary form was important  The Puritans believed in education and reading the Bible. In 1636 they founded Harvard, with the intention of training Puritan ministers.  Puritans set up printing presses in the colonies  In 1647, free public schools were established

20.  Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor were two Puritan poets  Anne Bradstreet was one of the first American poets. She wrote during the 1600’s in a very moving and personal voice about family and spiritual crises.  Edward Taylor wrote with great intensity and very emotional poems

21.  The New England Primer was one of the first reading book in the colonies. It contained instruction in spelling and reading, religious teachings and the concept of original sin, such as “in Adam’s fall/we sinned all.” It was the standard text from which most colonial children learned to read. Moral instruction, letters of the alphabet, and inspirational couplets were all a part of the book.  The Bay Psalm Book was a standard Puritan hymnal. It was one of the first books printed in the colonies. It is often considered a good example of bad poetry. Only eleven copies remain. It was written by Richard s, Thomas Weld, and John Eliot.

22.  Mather Family –Richard Mather was a prominent preacher –Increase Mather, Richard’s youngest son, served for many years as pastor of the North Church in Boston. He was the author of some 150 books. Conscience Concerning Evil Spirits was a discourse on the Salem witchcraft trials. The trials were hysteria, resulting in the hanging of 19 people.

23. –Cotton Mather, Increase’s eldest son, wrote over 400 books. During the witchcraft trials, he helped stir up the hysteria. He was a zealous minister that argued that the epidemic of witchcraft proved beyond a doubt that New England was a holy place, since the Devil was so interested in it. He demanded that all witched be rooted out and severely punished. He was also a scientific man, interested in natural science. He found that inoculation could save lives from smallpox and urged it on Puritans. It worked. He wrote the first scholarly essay on medicine in America. He saw sin as the cause of diseases but sought cures for disease. Controversy was a part of his life. Mather’s house was once bombed.

24.  Cotton Mather was one of the most learned men of his time, a power in the state, and a notable author.  His writing style was simple (his actual writing was not!): the more information a work contains, the better its style

25.  Puritan writing style was plain. It had clarity of expression and no complicated figures of speech. the statements were clear. Ornate writing was a sign of vanity and not God’s will.

26. Southern Writers  John Smith wrote The General History of Virginia to describe his experiences for Europeans  Southern planters provided insight into this time period  Southerners did not oppose fiction or drama  The first theater opened in Williamsburg, Virginia in 1716

27.  William Byrd lived at Westover, a plantation on the James River  He was commissioned to survey the boundary line between Virginia and North Carolina in 1728. As he worked, he kept a journal of his experiences. It served as the basis of his book, The History of the Dividing Line.  The book was published after his death  It was a masterpiece, filled with humor. It gained him recognition as one of the finest writers in the pre-Revolutionary South.

28. Differences Differences  Northern literature was to improve spiritual life  Northern colonies viewed religion as affecting every aspect of Puritan life. Frugality, self- reliance, hard work, self-discipline were all characteristics of Northerners.  Settlements were small, with only a few that were large. The houses were close and the farms were small.  They met in meeting houses in the center of town  They had very harsh winters

29.  Southern literature was to entertain, to educate, and to communicate  Southerners had large plantations and very large- scale agriculture enterprises and were a center of commerce.  Many people worked on the plantations, often slaves.  Plantation systems kept people apart.  Large parties lasted weeks and were common in order to see one another.  Church of England was prominent in the South.  Southerners were ambitious, energetic, self- disciplined, and resourceful.  They had an elegant social life, and they appreciated culture