Colonial Period1500 - 1776

Early American Literature

Native American Literature

• The earliest American Literature was composed by Native Americans.

• Much of Native American Literature was passed down orally.

• Native American tales were often mythological and/or folktales, such as Trickster tales.

Exploration Literature

• Once explorers began to travel to the New World, they chronicled their experiences in the form of diaries and letters home.

• Often, the diaries and letters were propaganda designed to increase settlers’ interest in the land.

The Puritans

The term “Puritan” was applied to two groups of people who believed that:– 1) They should

separate themselves from the “corrupt” Church of England” or

– 2) The Church of England needed reform

Puritan Beliefs

• Predestination• Covenant of Works• Covenant of Grace• Covenant of Redemption

Predestination

• God has chosen certain few of the “elect” for salvation.

• Unlike other Christians, they believed faith alone was not enough.

• Whether or not you were “saved” could be determined by your behavior—if you acted in a holy manner, it was assumed you were saved.

Covenant of Works

• God promised Adam and his progeny eternal life if they obeyed moral law.

• Adam broke this covenant.

Covenant of Grace

• Once Adam broke the Covenant with God, He created a new covenant with Abraham.

• Punishment for sins is considered a proper response to disobedience.

Covenant of Redemption

• Puritans believed that Jesus freely offered himself as a sacrifice on behalf of all people.

• God must accept Jesus’s sacrifice as a representative for all people.

What the Puritans Did

• Established settlements in Massachusetts, including Plymouth and Boston.

• Influenced America’s system of laws and morals.

• Wrote in “plain style”—writing unadorned with figurative language.

Salem Witch Trials• In 1692, Salem, MA.

experienced the witchcraft hysteria, which had been plaguing Europe for some time.

• Before the Salem Witch Trials ended, 185 people would be accused of the sin of witchcraft.

• Of those accused, 20 were executed.

• Arthur Miller wrote an account of the trials called The Crucible.

Puritan Literature

• Histories: William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation

• Poetry: Anne Bradstreet and Edward Taylor

• Sermons: Jonathan Edwards• Biographies: Mary Rowlandson’s

kidnapping account• “Tracts”: Increase Mather, Cotton

Mather

The Scarlet Letter

• Written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, published in 1850.

• Hawthorne descended from Salem Witch Trials judge John Hathorne (N. Hawthorne added the “w” for clarification in pronunciation).

• A sense of guilt over the actions of his ancestors compelled him to write many times on Puritan themes.

• The Scarlet Letter is set in the mid-1600’s, during the Puritan era in Boston.