Early American Writers Introduction 1630-1776

AP Language and Composition Unit 2Early American Writers Introduction 1630-1776Native American (oral stories/performances)Southern Planters (narratives, journals)Slaves (narratives)Puritans (poems, sermons, speeches)

Who were the writers of Early America?Oral story telling Performance basedDifficult to translate into Western-style print Huge variety of languages, customs, political structures, sophistication among the native peoples

We will read an Iroquois creation myth and a trickster tale by Mourning Dove, a woman who grew up on the Colville, WA Reservation

Native AmericansWealthy, worldly, educated, culturedKept ties to England and EuropeProfited from large Southern plantations, owned slaves, took advantage of warm weather and ease of growing cropsSocialitesMembers of the Church of EnglandVery different worldview than their New England counterparts

The Southern Planters(aka Cavaliers)Focus: William Byrd 1674-1744Equiano was originally from what is now NigeriaHe was captured there by British traders, sold to a Virginian and then a Quaker in AmericaHe eventually bought his freedom and moved to London, earning money at odd jobs, educating himself and travelingHis slave narrative is the first of many that would come in the mid-1800s; it had a profound effect on Americans who had never before thought much about the inhumanity of slavery

Early Slave NarrativesFocus: Olaudah Equiano 1745-1797 1)We will study John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet, and Jonathan Edwards as well as The Crucible by Arthur Miller which is set in Salem Massachusetts during the Witch Trial era

Puritans WritersThey will be our focusThe term Puritan refers to a number of Protestant groups that sought to purity the Church of EnglandThey wanted to return to a simpler form of worship which was described in the New TestamentThey believed religion was a personal inner experienceThe clergy did not need to act as the middlemen between the individual and God

Puritan HistoryMany Puritans were persecuted in England and a small group left for America in 1620 hoping to build a new society where they could follow their form of ChristianityPuritans believed a contract existed between people and GodThis tendency towards a contract spilled over into their social and political lives as well (Mayflower Compact), which set the ground for Americas Constitutional Democracy

Puritan History Continued1)Puritans believed in predestination the concept that God had predetermined whether a person would be going to heaven (the Elect) or hell (the Unregenerate)2) How did you know which group you belonged to?

Puritan ValuesThere were two indications that you would be savedThe first is that you could feel it when Gods grace arrived, and you showed this outwardly in an intensely emotional fashionThe second is that you behaved like a saint lived an exemplary life, were hard workers, exhibited self-reliance, were industrious, lived simply, did not overeat or drink, were financially fruitfulAs a bonus, these characteristics were also the ones that kept the Puritans alive during unforgiving New England winters

Puritan Values ContinuedBecause everyone needed to read the Bible, education was very important to them; education was freeThey founded several colleges: Harvard(1636) was oneThey favored poems, diaries, histories as their writing mediums; novels and short stories were much too racyThey favored a simple dwelling, black conservative clothingEven more about the PuritansThey frowned on frivolous entertainment no dancing, no music (except church music), no reading except the Bible or other religious literature, not much outward emotionNo working Sunday. Everyone was required to be at church.They were not tolerant about outsiders, or those whose lifestyles were not mainstream, didnt follow strict theocratic code They were a close-knit group who helped each other survive and prosper in a dangerous new land And even more about the Puritans