American Literature 1600 to 1900 English

 Originally referred to as Separatists  Lived in England and became disillusioned with the Catholic Church and Anglican Church  Most modern histories began referring them to as Pilgrims.  In England they were jailed and persecuted for not following the teachings of the Anglican Church.  Left England to find the religious freedom arriving in New England in November 1620 Puritanism Who are the Puritans, Separatists, Pilgrims?

 They were God’s chosen people  God favored the industrious and hard working  Viewed nature as harsh and evil and needing to be tamed.  God would crush those who defied Him.  Humans are essentially evil and few were chosen to be “saved’ by God  God watched over the earth and exerted His will as he saw fit. Puritan Beliefs

 Boys and Girls should have an education  Colonies were well planned and organized  Not afraid of working hard and getting dirty.  Established the first public school: Boston Latin School  Established the first continent’s college: Harvard University. Positive Qualities of the Pilgrims

 Series of strict rules and laws.  Intolerant of any ideas or views that differed from their religious teachings  If you missed church, as a you were punished criminal  All forms of play and recreation were forbidden. Negative Qualities of Pilgrims

 John Calvin  Expected his followers to devote themselves fully to the worship of God and nothing else.  According to Calvin, God had already determined if you were going to heaven or down under even before you die.  Calvin was outraged at the belief that if people were “good” that they could “earn” their way to heaven  If you have been chosen by God, it was obvious by the way you lived your life. Leaders of the Religious Revolution

 Born in England  Immigrated to Holland to escape persecution for not worshipping in government run Anglican Church.  Joined a group of Puritans on trip to the New World to help create their own version of an ideal society  Bradford was the most important leader of Plymouth Colony  Bradford wrote the first piece of American Literature: History of the Plymouth Plantation. It is the account of the voyage of the Mayflower and the first few years of Plymouth colony. William Bradford

 Use of reason rather than authority of the past  There is logic in reasoning and a set of truths that are to be followed.  God is an inactive creator who lets the universe run on its own. Rationalism/Age of Reason

 Deeply intuitive, youthful and loved nature  Celebrated nature over civilization  Main philosophy: “ Be not like dumb, driven cattle!”  “Be an individual rather than one of the crowds” Romanticism Writers

 Accurately portray real life without filtering with romantic notions.  Writers wrote about ordinary people and everyday events.  Rejects imagination in favor of telling it like it is!! Realism

 Born in Florida, Missouri November 30,1835 and moved to Hannibal in 1839  He was born Samuel Langhorne Clemens  Twain had a very exciting life growing up and as an adult.  His life was filled with many adventures and jobs.  Steamboat pilot  Gold miner  Newspaper reporter Mark Twain

 Mark Twain was America’s greatest Storyteller.  His best stories are based on his own boyhood growing up along the Mississippi River.  His famous works are The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.  Twain’s stories were funny, however his writing also addressed serious issues of the time:  Racism  Greed  Injustice Mark Twain

 Mark Twain traveled the world performing his stories as a One Man Show.  Twain wrote about his experiences as a boy.  Twain was the most famous and successful author of his time.  His humor touched on serious issues.  In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Twain uses his humor to point out the wrongs of racism.