1. Poe’s The Raven Poe’s The Raven was one of the first great works of American fictional literature in poetic form. DIRECTIONS Read the poem (the entire poem quietly and by yourself) on your desk written by American poet and novelist Edgar Allan Poe. Use the first 30 or so minutes of class to analyze the poem. On a separate sheet of paper write a list of 7-8 thoughts, feelings, emotions, criticisms or beliefs that come to mind as you read the poem. On the same sheet of paper describe what you think Poe was trying to get readers to understand. Image source: http://www.dreadcentral.com/img/news/aug09/edpoe.jpg

2. Nationalism and Sectionalism in art, literature and language Michael Quiñones, NBCT www.socialstudiesguy.com

3. The Big Ideas Macro Concepts Conflict- a problem or issue that is controversial and can cause problems without compromise. Style-the appearance or features that make something unique, different or special. Micro Concepts Nationalism- belief that a country and its citizens are better than everyone else. Sectionalism- belief that a specific part of a country is better than others. Transcendentalism-a style of thinking and writing that encouraged opinions based on life experience.

4. Famous American Authors A writing style that was popular in the mid 1800s was romanticism. The style focused on human emotion. The goal of the authors was to make a reader feel [ex: happy, sad, fear, anger, awe]. Edgar Allan Poe’s stories were considered dark because they focused on drug use, horror, murder, crime, death and disease. [Poe’s writings included The Raven, The Tell Tale Heart, The Black Cat] Nathaniel Hawthorne’s stories mostly focused on sin, lust, seduction and guilt. [Hawthorne’s writings included The Scarlet Letter, The House of the Seven Gables, Rappacini’s Daughter] Nathaniel Hawthorne Edgar Allan Poe

5. Noah Webster Many people consider Webster the father of the modern American English language. He developed alphabetical word lists, in book form, showing pictures, spelling, definitions and pronunciations. Webster’s dictionary expanded the scope of literacy across the U.S. School children used these resources to guide reading and learning.

6. Neoclassical Architecture The type of building architecture that was widely used throughout the United States and Europe is called Neoclassical Architecture. It was based on ancient Rome and Greece to demonstrate power and progress. Large columns, straight lines and domed roofs were common characteristics. The point of this ornate style to was show how advanced the United States was during the late 1800s and early 1900s.

7. The Knickerbocker School A “school” in this context is a way of thinking such as when someone say a person is old school. During the early 1800s a group of writers in New York authored several famous novels [Legend of Sleepy Hollow] and poem collections. These men also wrote well respected historical novels [Last of the Mohicans] about important, significant events in U.S. History.Last of the Mohicans Washington Irving’s pen name was Dietrich “Knickerbocker” which is partially why the group got its name. Washington Irving James Fennimore Cooper These American authors were well respected and their books were read all over Europe because of the engaging, exciting and interesting nature of the story lines in their novels.

8. Hudson River School The Hudson River School was a style of painting that focused on natural landscapes. Natural scenes such as valleys, rivers, farms, hills and forests were painted by Hudson River School artists. The point of the style was to emphasize the importance, beauty, value and wonder of the natural environment in its natural state. The amazing images served to provide an awareness of the United States’ natural resources.

9. Transcendentalism [Transcend=Change] American writers such as Emerson and Thoreau wrote about how important it was to develop your own opinions based on life experience. These writers did not believe people should just blindly believe the teachings of Christian churches. They should decide what was right and wrong on their own. The point was to change one’s thought process. Through experiencing life you could decide for yourself. Both men traveled across the United States to experience life’s diversity. Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau

10. Alexis de Tocqueville Frenchman who visited the United States to learn about its prison system for the French government. He loved the fact that many citizens had property rights and vast freedoms. He hated slavery as he saw it practiced in the U.S. and correctly predicted it would cause problems between the North and South. He wrote a book called Democracy in America describing what he learned in the U.S. de Tocqueville’s critiques were closely analyzed by American government officials.

11. Image sources http://www.itjungle.com/tfh/monticello.gif http://www.en.utexas.edu/Classes/Moore/neoclassical/images/arch/small/WILKINS-21.jpg http://www.karenandart.com/images/Finland/Helsinki/greatcathedral.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Portrait_of_Noah_Webster.jpg http://eightface.com/files/images/2009.10.websters.jpg http://oneclimbs.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/noah-webster.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hudson_river_school http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:JKensett_Mount_Washington_(JJH-JFK001).jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ralph_Waldo_Emerson_ca1857_retouched.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Henry_David_Thoreau.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Nathaniel_Hawthorn_by_Brady,_1860-65.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Alexis_de_ tocqueville.jpg