“The time is now near at hand which must probably determine whether Americans are to be freemen or slaves; whether they are to have any property they can call their own; whether their houses and farms are to be pillaged and destroyed and themselves consigned to a state of wretchedness from which no human efforts will deliver them. The fate of unborn millions will now depend, under God, on the courage and conduct of this army. Our cruel and unrelenting enemy leaves us only the choice of bravest resistance, or the most abject submission. We have, therefore, to resolve to conquer or die.” - George Washington, addressing the Continental Army before the battle of Long Island, Aug. 27, 1776 UNIT 2: A Nation is Born ( )

A Nation is Born Fourth- and fifth-generation Europeans now living in colonies King George and Parliament imposed regulations that threatened liberties of colonists by mid 1760s/1770s Age of Reason/Age of Enlightenment Valued reason over faith Social contracts to form government Believed people by nature are good instead of evil Great American thinkers – Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine

A Nation is Born American Revolution Preceded by French and Indian War – struggle between France and Britain for control of North America ( ) Resulted in French giving up control in North America Good times short-lived British wanted to raise revenue in colonies to pay war debt – colonists started to revolt because of unfair taxation without representation Shot Heard ‘Round the World Start of the American Revolution ( ) School House Rock Shot Heard Round the World America Rock – YouTube New Nation Setting up a government – Articles of Confederation, Constitution, Bill of Rights

A Nation is Born LITERATURE OF THE PERIOD Politics as literature Public writing and speaking Speeches – Patrick Henry speech against the Stamp Act in Virginia House of Burgesses Pamphlets – Thomas Pain Common Sense Declaration of Independence – Thomas Jefferson Constitution – written by committee Verse and poetry Verse appeared in newspapers Poems of Phillis Wheatley Observations of Michel-Guillaume Crevecoeur Poor Richard’s Almanack – Ben Franklin

A Nation is Born Culture and Art Establishment of cultural identity Building of theaters and opening of colleges Painters and Singers/Musicians American Literature at Daybreak (early 1800s) Small body of national literature Native American poetry and legends Puritan Plain Style Statesmen of the Revolution No American novels or plays of importance, and short story had yet to be invented On the cusp with raw materials for great national literature at hand

Voices for Freedom Benjamin Franklin “No other colonial American more closely embodied the promise of America than Benjamin Franklin” Made contributions in literature, journalism, science, diplomacy, education, and philosophy Born in Boston, moved to Philly, started newspaper with printing business as well as publishing Poor Richard’s Almanack – still published today, although not original Wore many hats Wrote autobiography at age 65 – set the standard for new genre AUTOBIOGRAPHY – a person’s account of his or her life; generally written in first person; provides inside details about writer’s life, offers insights into beliefs & perceptions of author; also offers glimpse of what it was like to live in author’s setting & time frame

Voices for Freedom AUTOBIOGRAPHY – a person’s account of his or her life; generally written in first person; provides inside details about writer’s life, offers insights into beliefs & perceptions of author; also offers glimpse of what it was like to live in author’s setting & time frame Franklin wrote his autobiography at age 65 at urging of his friends JOURNALING In your notebook, write a brief autobiography (one paragraph in length)

Thomas Jefferson Brilliant statesman Helped nation gain independence Founded University of Virginia Helped establish public school system Among other accomplishments Outspoken defender of American rights Emerged as leader to gain independence Served country as diplomat to France, secretary of state, vice president and president As president, executed Louisiana Purchase

Thomas Paine Met Benjamin Franklin in London before emigrating to colonies just before Revolutionary War Began career as a journalist Published Common Sense in January 1776, arguing Americans must fight for independence – created national mood for Revolution Wrote series of essays called The American Crisis, which Washington ordered read to the troops

Literary Focus Persuasion Writing meant to convince readers to think or act in a certain way. A persuasive writer appeals to emotions or reason, offers opinions, and urges action. Jefferson wrote to persuade that the colonists were justified in declaring their independence Paine wrote to convince American citizens of the justness of the Revolution and to lift the spirits of American soldiers on the battlefield CHARGED WORDS – words with strong connotations likely to produce an emotional response

Speeches Speeches have played an important role in American politics – from the Revolutionary period to the present. An effective speaker uses a variety of techniques to emphasize important points. Restatement – repeating an idea a variety of ways Repetition – restating an idea using the same words Parallelism – repeating grammatical structures Rhetorical question – asking a question whose answer is self- evident; intended to stir emotions Listen carefully for persuasive appeals that stir emotions like hopes, fears, likes, and dislikes.

Patrick Henry ( ) Moved listeners to anger, fear, or laughter more easily than the most talented actor Most noted for his fiery battle cry: “Give me liberty or give me death!” Elected to Virginia House of Burgesses in 1765 Gave powerful speech, declaring opposition to Stamp Act --- Stamp Act required colonists to pay a tax and have stamps affixed on certain goods

Phillis Wheatley ( ) African slave and poet Purchased by Boston merchant, who recognized Wheatley’s high intelligence and taught her to read and write First poem was published at age 13 Met several British aristocrats, who helped her publish Poems on Various Subjects: Religious and Moral in 1773 – likely 1 st text published by an African

Phillis Wheatley During War, Wheatley wrote poem addressed to George Washington After being freed in 1773, Wheatley continued to suffer hardship and sorrow – she died in poverty Poems on Various Subjects: Religious and Moral finally found an American publisher after her death PERSONIFICATION – When writers attribute human powers and characteristics to something that is not human, such as an object, an aspect of nature, or an idea Example: “Astonish’d ocean feels the wild uproar” Sea personified with human emotion (astonishment) and sensibility (feeling the wild uproar)

Clarifying meaning When reading poetry or prose, you may need to clarify the meaning of passages of complexity by figuring out grammatical structure and checking the definition of words. Tips Check definitions of words Reorder the words to make sense of them Re-read and summarize After reading the poem once all the way through, return and do a second reading, making sure you understand the meaning and theme

To His Excellency, General Washington Wheatley sings the praises of America’s righteous cause in fighting for its FREEDOM against the British In WASHINGTON, America has found a leader who deserves the blessings of God and has virtue on his side Proceed, great Chief, with virtue on thy side,/Thy ev’ry action let the goddess guide./A crown, a mansion, and a throne that shine,/With gold unfading, WASHINGTON! be thine. In what lines do we find PERSONIFICATION? And nations gaze at scenes before unknown! The refluent surges beat the sounding shore Fix’d are the eyes of nations on the scales For in their hopes Columbia’s arm prevails

An Hymn to the Evening What is the poem about? The beginning of evening Why is evening praiseworthy? Majestic grandeur Birds renew their notes Beauteous dyes are spread Living temples of God below Where do we find personification?

Poor Richard’s Almanack APHORISM – Short, concise statement expressing a wise or clever observation or a general truth. It usually reflects the setting and the time frame in which it was created. A variety of devices make aphorisms easy to remember, such as rhymes or repeated words or sounds; parallel structures to present contrasting ideas i.e. – “No pain, no gain.” – uses rhyme, repetition, and parallel structure Most of Franklin’s aphorisms are adapted from proverbs (anonymous traditional folk sayings) Franklin believed clarity & brevity two most important characteristics of good prose

Poor Richard’s Almanack What are some contemporary aphorisms? Get in pairs and come up with at least three aphorism that apply to modern times

Abigail Smith Adams ( ) Outspoken wife of President John Adams & mother of President John Quincy Adams One of most influential American women of her time Penned hundreds of letters to husband & relatives, discussing everything from women’s rights to her opposition to slavery First couple to live in White House Letter to her daughter captures essence of life in new nation

Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur First writer to compare America to a melting pot French aristocrat chronicled experiences in America Idealistic descriptions confirmed many people’s vision of America as land of great promise Settled in Orange County, New York Letters From an American Farmer published in London and later translated into several languages Returned to Paris after he found his home burned and wife and children murdered, later fleeing to Normandy to write about the adoptive country he’d never see again

Letters and Epistles Personal or private letters, like Adams’s, tend to be conversational and intended only for the reader(s) to whom they are addressed Crevecoeur’s Letters, on the other hand, while supposedly written by an American farmer named James to his friend Mr. F.B., are actually public letters intended for a wide audience. Called EPISTLES, these works of literature are created for general publication but written in the form of personal letters