1. Early American Writing
Explorers, English III
Mrs. Rahman

2. Historical Context; The Meeting of Two Worlds
Earliest American writers concentrated on describing and trying to make sense of:
challenging new environment (no inns, no taverns, no city)
unfamiliar people (Native Americans)
Through diaries, letters, reports back home these writers recorded history of first intersection of European settlers’ lives and Native Americans’

3. Historical Context; The Meeting of Two Worlds
Europeans failed to note, or consider, that MILLIONS of people were living in the Americas prior to settlers’ arrival
Native Americans had well-established communities
Were usually friendly towards Europeans, until forced off their land
Two early American writers who chronicled Native American and European views of each other:
William Wood, from the Massachusetts Bay Colony
William Bradford, governor of Plymouth Plantation

4. Historical Context; From Colony to Colony
Jamestown, first permanent colony est. in 1607
English colonies stretched along Atlantic coast by 1733
Increasingly self-reliant
Local self-rule (governing and economy)
First colonies thought of themselves as English
Supported England by exporting raw materials home, by importing Britain’s manufactured goods
Did NOT have representatives in Parliament
Britain supported colonies by protecting its territory
French and Indian War ( )

5. Historical Context; From Colony to Colony
Break with England
Crown’s attempt to tax colonists after long, costly war
“No taxation without representation”
Britain lost more than their costly war monies by losing the American colonies
Colonial authors protested British control
Newspapers, pamphlets, speeches (Thomas Paine, Patrick Henry)
Calls to support independence from British tyranny
Founding Fathers: Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson
Declaration of Independence, 1776
US Constitution ratified 1788

6. Historical Narratives
Accounts of real-life historical experiences
Written by either a person who experienced the events
OR someone who has studied or observed them directly

7. Primary sources
Materials written by people who were either participants in
OR observers of the events written about

8. Primary sources, Examples
Letters
Diaries
Journals
Speeches
Autobiographies
Interviews

9. Secondary sources
Records of events written by people who were NOT directly involved
EXAMPLES:
Biographies
Histories

10. Slave Narrative
The slave narrative (story) is an American literary genre
Portrays the daily life of slaves as written by the slaves themselves after gaining their freedom
EXAMPLE: The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, or Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, or The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

11. Determining…Historical Narrative, Primary source, Secondary Source, or Slave Narrative?
Document’s origin
The perspective and motives of the writer
Noting sensory details that depict people or places
Identifying customs and values of the time period