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AMERICAN LITERATURE Essential Questions for the Year What makes American literature American? What is the relationship between literature and place? How does literature influence and reflect society?
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Unit 1 – Beginnings to 1800: The Puritan Era "....we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a Hill, (and that) the eyes of the people are upon us...” John Winthrop, 1630
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Who Were the Puritans? Broad term for Protestant groups that aimed to “purify” the Church of England around 1560 Many were persecuted in England William Bradford led a small group (Pilgrims) in 1620 to America Between 1630-1640, 20,000 Puritans migrated to America—the “Great Migration” Hoped to build a society built around the Bible
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What problems do you think would arise from establishing laws based on a set of specific religious beliefs?
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Government by Contract Believed a covenant (contract) existed between God and man Believed people should enter into contracts concerning government Mayflower Compact – forerunner of constitutional democracy Because religion and law were one, there was little room for compromise
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Education Literacy was highly valued since it was needed to read the Bible. Established grammar schools to teach reading and writing Founded Harvard in 1636 to train the clergy
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Puritan Writing Saw direct connections between Biblical events and their own lives Explored inner and outer lives for signs of God’s work Diaries and histories were the most common writing Plain style
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Puritan Legacy Laid foundation for constitutional government Puritan/Protestant work ethic Self-reliance Industriousness Thrift Simplicity
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What was the American Dream for the Puritans?
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Puritans We’ll Be Reading
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Anne Bradstreet Considered America’s first poet
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Edward Taylor Known for inventive extended metaphors/concei ts
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Jonathan Edwards Famous for “fire- and-brimstone” imagery in his sermons Intellectually, he bridged the Puritan era and the Rationalist era
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