American Literature from 1700-1800

As many know, the Enlightenment and the Great Awakening were milestones in American history, as Americans began to focus more on the arts and the ability of the human mind. Below is a timeline and brief description of the most important works of the time. 

In 1693, Cotton Mather published The Wonders of the Invisible World. In this, Mather begins to bridge the gap between Puritanism and the Enlightenment with his work with Martha Carrier. It isn't until his death, however, in 1728, that America fully moves into the Enlightenment. 

In 1710, Cotton Mather published his book, Bonifacius (Essays to Do Good). This book was very influential to Benjamin Franklin, who becomes one of the most influential writers of this time.

In 1732, Benjamin Franklin begins publishing Poor Richard's Almanac, which was published yearly until 1758. Franklin wrote this under the pseudonym Richard Saunders, and he considered it a service to the American people, hoping to spark an interest in the intellectual.

In 1741, Jonathan Edwards writes Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, which becomes one of the most influential sermons of the Great Awakening. 

From 1771-1790, Benjamin Franklin writes his Autobiography. Part 1 was not published until 1818. This piece begins a new type of biography, called the auto-American biography. In this type of biography, the author self-consciously creates an image of himself as the "ideal American", and is most commonly a rags-to-riches story. Sarah Palin is considered a modern-day auto-American biographer.

In 1776, Thomas Paine published the first pamphlet in America, Common Sense. Common Sense was the beginning to the American Revolution, as it urged the colonists to fight back against the English rule. 

All of these works are studied in American Literature classes today because they offer insight to our past, and tell us how we got to where we are today. 


Works Cited:
"Brief Timeline of American Literature and Events: 1700-1799." Washington State University Library. Washington State University, n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2012. <http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/1751.htm>.
Baym, Nina, and Robert S. Levine. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2012. Print.

-Jessica Mize

Neoclassicism in American Literature

According to Merriam Webster, neoclassicism is "of,  relating to, or constituting a revival or adaptation of the classical especially in literature, music, art, or architecture". In America, neoclassicism was a movement based on the interest in the art and culture of ancient Greece and Rome. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, America was in search of a model for their new government, and turned to the Roman Republic and ancient Greece. A Republic is a government run by the people, and this was first done in Ancient Rome. Americans were hoping that his type of government would prevail. 

An example of Neoclassicism in our reading was in Phillis Wheatley's "To His Excellency General Washington. In this poem, she addresses General George Washington in a letter and includes a poem she has written about him in all of his glory. Wheatley begins the poem with, "Celestial choir!", which is actually a device of Neoclassicism. Celestial Choir is a muse, which in Neoclassical pieces, writers would call upon a muse to inspire writing. Wheatley continues the Neoclassical pattern when she refers to America as "Columbia". She depicts a goddess, "she moves divinely fair, Olive and laurel binds her golden hair", triumphantly leading the country in battle. She goes on to depict General Washington as a God, maybe even similar to Zeus. 

These types of references, to muses, Gods, and Goddesses, would typically be used in ancient Greek literature, and are examples of how we used Neoclassicism in the beginning of our life as an independent country. Neoclassical images are still prevalent in our government today. For example, the White House and Capitol Building in Washington DC. These buildings were designed by Thomas Jefferson and used common images from ancient Greece and Rome of the pillars and symmetrical shapes.

-Jessica Mize

Works Cited:

"Introduction." Poetry for Students. Vol. 13. Gale Cengage, .eNotes.com. 22 Oct, 2012 <http://www.enotes.com/his-excellency/>

"Neoclassic." Merriam-Webster. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 22 Oct. 2012. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/neoclassicism>.

Wheatley, Phillis. "To His Excellency General Washington." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. By Nina Baym and Robert S. Levine. 8th ed. Vol. A. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2012. 772-73. Print.

Deism

             What is Deism? Deism is an eighteenth- century religious belief that privileges reason over faith and rejects traditional religious tenets or general belief in benevolent creator. Deism is not a specific religion but rather a particular perspective on the nature of God. Deists believe that a creator God does exist but that after the motions of the universe were set in place he retreated, having no further interaction with the cretaed universe of the beings within it. Deism originated in the Ages of Reason and the Enlightenment in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. During thsi time many people became interested in scientific explanations about the world and became more skeptical of magic and miracles. Deists believe there is no need for worship because the deist God is entirely removed from involvement, he has neither need nor want of worship. Deists do not believe i sin and instead assume human beings are basicaly good. They believe in the exsistence of Supreme Being, Divine Watchmaker and Grand Architect of the Universe. To get a better understaning of deism I found three defintions. One, is the belief in the exsistence of a personal God, based solely on the testimony of reason and rejecting any supernatural revelation; natural religion. Two, is the belief that God created the world and set it in motion, subject to natural laws, but takes no interest in it. the third definition is the belief in a first cause which is not intrinsically perfect or complete, and therefore not a proper object worship. A large number of the Unites States Founding Fathers were deists or had strong deist leanings. These include: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton.


                                                        Works Cited
Loflin, Lewis. "Exploring Deism Its Origins and History." 1981. Web. 18 Oct 2012.

-Alexandria Miller

Thomas Jefferson

Thomas Jefferson was born in 1743 in Shadwell, Virginia and died in 1826. Jefferson was the third of ten children. His father was Peter Jefferson, he was a succesful surveyor and planter. He was raised an anglican; later in life believed in god and moral teachings of Jesuse Chris tand the Bible, but he did not believe Jesus Christ was divine. Jefferson married Martha Wayles Skeleton, their marriage produced six children, but only two survived to adulthood. Jefferson began building Monticello when he was twenty-six years old, a considerable landed estate he inherited from his father. He maintained Monticello as his home throughout his life. Thomas Jefferson is known as a founding father and a leader in the enlightenment. Thomas Jefferson is the principal author of Declaration of Indpendence. He was the first Secretary of State, the second Vice President, and the third President of The United States. Thomas Jefferson studied at the college of William and Mary, and then went off to study law. He spoke five different languages and was deeply interested in science, invention, architecture, religion and philosophy. Jefferson was publicly opposed to slavery. Despite the fact that he owned slaves for his entire life and had an affair with his slave, he was against the institution. It was believed that the reason he had slaves was because he was always in great debt. Thomas Jefferson died in 1826 in his bed at his home, Monticello. Thomas Jefferson only wanted to be recognized for three things: The Decalration of Indepence, Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom, and as the Father of The University of Virginia. Each of these are presented on his tombstone.


                                                     Works Cited

TheThomasJeffersonFoundation,inc. "Brief Biography". 1996-2012.Web. 17 Oct. 2012

- Alexandria Miller

Phillis Wheatley "On Being Brought from Africa to America"

        

                 Phillis Wheatley's "On Being Brought from Africa to America" was written in iambic pentameter, meaning it’s a rhythm of writing that has five sets of unstressed and stressed syllables. This was often known from Shakespeare. This poem was written after her travels to America and when she was bought from the Wheatleys.  In the first line of Wheatley's poem she says “Twas mercy brought me from my Pagan land", here she is implying that she was forced into slavery and bought. Wheatley uses "Pagan land “because where she grew up before being forced into slavery, didn't believe in Christianity. Moving to the next line, she says, “Taught my benighted soul to understand that there’s a God, that there’s a Savior too: Once I redemption neither sought nor knew.”" In this quote, she uses benighted meaning ignorant or unaware to describe soul" (Godspeed). Even though she was unclear about there being a God and a savior too, she felt that she was human in spite of what others may have said about her. "Right there, the confidence in her spiritually and mentally is starting to happen; she began to understand" (Godspeed). In the next few lines she says, “Some view our sable race with scornful eye, Their colour is a diabolic die.” Sable means black and scornful means disrespectful which was the negative actions whites had towards blacks. “Remember, Christians, Negros, black as Cain, may be refin’d and join th’angelic train.” Her she implies that both blacks and whites can be saved with their harmful actions set aside. The last two lines in the poem showed that she believed slaves should be happy that they are slaves. They get to learn more about Christianity while the whites are saving their souls. The angelic train refers the “heavenly train” and this implies that those that do right will be rewarded in heaven.  Wheatley uses Christianity to justify slavery and the black race.

Baym, Nina, and Robert S. Levine. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. A. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2012. Print.

"Godspeed." : Close Reading of "On Being Brought from Africa to America" by Phillis Wheatley. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Oct. 2012. http://patricetate.blogspot.com/2009/02/close-reading-of-on-being-brought-from.html.

-Catherine Luberda

Phillis Wheatley

           

            Phillis Wheatley was born in Africa in 1753 and was kidnapped and forced into slavery by the age of 7. John Wheatley and his family bought Phillis and brought her over to Boston in 1761, knowing she was gifted and intelligent. Phillis lived in the Wheatley house even though there was a salve hut in the backyard and was treated as one of the Wheatley children. She was tutored by the Wheatley's daughter Mary in English, Latin, history, geography, religion, and the Bible in particular In June of 1773, Phillis went to London with one of the Wheatley's sons to publish one of her poems. While she was there, Phillis met Benjamin Franklin who was a fan of her work. During her trip to London, no one believed that Phillis wrote the poems and she had to go into a room with eighteen educated men and convince them that she wrote it. These eighteen men weren't convinced at first because Phillis was a young woman, a slave, and had an education that wasn't common for slave. The poem eventually got published and the eighteen men had to sign and verify that Phillis wrote it. In the fall of 1773, Phillis received manumission for Susannah who eventually died. Wheatley was emancipated, but wasn't freed until the death of John Wheatley in 1778. Phillis married John Peters in 1778 who was thrown into jail for debt. At this time Phillis would do anything for income. John and Phillis had three kids together, two of which died at infancy, and one who died three and a half hours after Phillis died on her death bed. Phillis Wheatley's most famous poem was on the death of Reverend George Whitefield, the English evangelist who frequently toured New England. She is the first African-American poet and the first African-American women to publish a book.

Baym, Nina, and Robert S. Levine. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 8th ed. Vol. A. New York: W. W. Norton &, 2012. Print.

"The Massachusetts Historical Society." The Massachusetts Historical Society. N.p., 2012. Web. 08 Oct. 2012. <https://www.masshist.org/endofslavery/index.cfm?queryID=57>.


-Catherine Luberda

The American Revolutionary War and The Crisis

              After writing Common Sense and igniting the fuel in the American’s fight for freedom, Thomas Paine decided to join the army to show his patriotism. In the army Paine showed his spirit and dedication to gain freedom and win the war, but it wasn’t his encouragements that gave the soldiers hope to win the war. Instead it was Paine’s writings that inspired the soldiers. During his time serving in the war, Thomas Paine wrote a series of pamphlets between December 1776 and April 1783 called The American Crisis. In The Crisis he recorded the war in detail from what he experienced in the frontline, which informed the public of what occurred in the battles. He also wrote his thoughts on the war and stressed the importance of unity of the colonies which became very inspirational to the soldiers and public alike. The Crisis was so inspiring that George Washington had it read to all of his soldiers before crossing the Delaware River and seizing the enemy. This attack on Christmas night in 1776 left the enemy baffled and became a turning point during the war. When Paine wrote these series he sold them but made very little profit from them. They were very popular among the soldiers because of the encouragement they received from them but not so much from the general public. Even so Paine still continued to write The Crisis until the end of the war and ended up with 13 series and three extra articles. He showed his determination of wanting to make America a free country from England or any other nation. In his last article Paine congratulated the colonies for their ability to unite and stated that "It was the cause of America that made me an author." He thanked the Americans for their support to him and allowing him to write The American Crisis series.

Works Cited

Alison. "Thomas Paine's Influence on the American Revolution." The Connecticut Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Connecticut Sons of the American Revolution, 2000. Web. 3 Oct 2012. <http://www.connecticutsar.org/patriots/paine_thomas.htm>.

Silver, Mae. "Thomas Paine: An American Patriot." New Jersey Press Foundation. New Jersey Newspaper Foundation, 2007. Web. 3 Oct 2012. <http://www.njreadforlife.org/painetext3.html>.

-Ana Juan

The American Revolutionary War and Common Sense

           After the Seven Years War, England was left with a tremendous debt. Not knowing where to get the money to pay off the debt, the British decided to tax the Americans. Parliament came to the conclusion that America owed them money for sending their troops over to protect the Americans from the Indians during the war. Thus, they decide to tax them, but the Americans believed that since they helped fight alongside the British during the war they should not have to pay taxes. Tension broke and in 1775 the American Revolutionary war began.

           The original cause of the war came from the taxes that England tried to impose on the Americans. Americans tried to protest against this taxation, but eventually England became weary of their attitude. They sent troops to punish those who disobeyed orders and battles broke out. America then became a split country when a group of people still favored the king and believed they should follow orders while the opposing team believed they should be able to rule by themselves and break all ties with England other than trading. During the early battles, Thomas Paine realized the absurdity of England, a small country, ruling over America, a massive country compared to its size. As a result he wrote Common Sense to state his opinions over the matter and informed the public of what should be and was happening because of the war.

            In Common Sense Paine wrote about the control England had over America. He stated that America is not a country full of only English descendants but a country that inhabits various backgrounds from all over Europe. Because of this Paine tells the public that America should be a free country, have no ties to any one nation, and be able to trade freely to any nation. Paine basically ridiculed Britain’s attempt to rule over America and demanded that America fight for its freedom. The publishing of Common Sense was what triggered the Americans to really fight for their freedom and became a turning point in the war.

Works Cited

Parker, Matthew. "Thomas Paine and Common Sense ." Revolutionary War Archives. Sons of  Liberty Chapter, November 2001. Web. 3 Oct 2012. <http://www.revolutionarywararchives.org/commonsense.html>.

-Ana Juan