American Literature Beginnings To 1820 Period Introduction ✓ Solved

American Literature Beginnings To 1820 Period Introduction O

Questions of Identity: European colonists such as John Smith justified their seizure of Native American lands with citations from the Bible. When Native Americans such as Sagoyewatha gained access to the sphere of print in the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, they questioned the relevance of Christianity to Native communities with their own religious traditions.

J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur and other early American writers characterized North America as a melting pot where individuals with diverse views could come together to form a new people. However, his best-known work, Letters from an American Farmer, also attests to the exploitation and exclusion of Native and African American peoples from this vision of unity.

Similarly, Washington Irving wrote of the American Revolution in retrospect, questioning the efficacy of political change in transforming American culture from its British roots into a more equitable, inclusive alternative.

Exploring Origins: Most of the earliest surviving writings about the Americas are narratives of discovery. These narratives chronicle the processes of conflict and exchange that shaped interactions among European, Native American, and African peoples.

The arrival of Christopher Columbus in the Western Hemisphere in 1492 led to the enslavement of the Taino and other Native peoples. Enslavement and the transmission of infectious diseases—especially smallpox—decimated indigenous communities.

Natives were not merely victims, suffering decline. Many Native groups made strategic alliances both with European colonizers and with other Native groups to consolidate advantages. Many Natives were resourceful in resisting, transforming, and exploiting the cultures that Europeans were imposing on their original landscape.

As enslaved Native laborers died in stunning numbers, the Spanish colonizers introduced African slavery to America. By the middle of the sixteenth century, the Native population had been almost completely displaced by African slaves in some Spanish colonies. Thus, the destruction of one people was accompanied by the displacement and enslavement of another.

Enslaved Africans brought their own cultures of origin with them across the Atlantic. Figures and language from these African cultures were preserved even as slaves converted to Christianity and used biblical tropes to advocate for freedom.

Literary Backgrounds and Consequences of 1492: The printing press drove European expansion into the Americas, disseminating promotional tracts advertising the riches of New World landscapes.

An enormous variety of languages were spoken and written first in Europe and then in North American settlements, including, among others, French, Dutch, Walloon, Spanish, Scandinavian, Portuguese, Gaelic, German, African languages, and, of course, Native American languages.

Native Americans largely relied on memory to preserve language and culture. But the knotted string of quipu, the shellwork of wampum belts, and painted animal hides could be read aloud in the same way that Europeans read printed sermons or sang broadside ballads.

English eventually became the lingua franca of the United States, but French and Spanish explorers provide our earliest European accounts of life in North America.

Literary New England: The English settlers who established Plymouth Plantation in 1620 (later known as the Pilgrims) and the English Puritans who established a settlement in Boston in 1630 shared a wish to purify Christian belief and practice. The Pilgrims advocated separating from the established Church of England, while the Puritans hoped to purify it from within.

By 1691, the Pilgrims had been subsumed by the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and the two groups merged. Puritans and Pilgrims accepted John Calvin's doctrine of election, holding that God had chosen, or "elected," before their birth those he would save and those he would damn eternally. While the doctrine of election can seem harsh, there was also joy in Puritan life, often as a result of meditations on Christ's redeeming power.

In the seventeenth century, Puritan churches administered the sacrament of communion only to those who had become church members by standing before their minister and elders and giving an account of their conversion. This process contributed to the Puritans' sense of being a special, or chosen, few—a concept that John Winthrop gave voice to when he exhorted the immigrants to the Bay Colony to live as a shining example to all other peoples, "a city upon a hill."

The stability of British America was threatened first by conflicts with Native peoples in the Pequot War of 1637 and King Philip's War of 1675, then by conflicts with New France during King William's War and the French and Indian War. The patriarchal religious culture of New England was challenged by Anne Hutchinson in 1637 and by female preachers from Rhode Island and Pennsylvania teaching Quaker doctrines in Massachusetts. The Salem witch trials of 1692 saw the execution of almost two dozen women accused of communing with the devil.

Enlightenment Ideals: Enlightenment thought supplanted religious ideas with scientific and philosophical theories but did not lead to secularization. Instead, thinkers like John Locke and Isaac Newton sought to resolve conflicts among Christianity, science, and philosophy. Philosophers proposed that society should be held together by sympathy and sociability rather than religious authority.

Eighteenth-century writers such as Sarah Kemble Knight, William Byrd, and Alexander Hamilton examined the natural world. Individuals who found evidence, in nature, for a supreme organizing force were known as Deists. The writing of Jonathan Edwards inspired a series of transatlantic religious revivals known as the Great Awakening. Edwards argued that the Calvinism of Puritan New England was compatible with the new ideas of the Enlightenment; his writings emphasize emotion and the creation of sympathy.

African and Native American writers, including Samson Occom, Phillis Wheatley, and John Marrant embraced the Great Awakening, finding greater opportunity for spiritual participation in the new evangelical culture of the eighteenth century.

Pursuing Happiness: British taxes led to colonial protests that culminated in the Declaration of Independence drafted by Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and Benjamin Franklin. Essays written by Thomas Paine, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison helped persuade British colonists cum American citizens to work for independence and to accept the Constitution of the United States.

Women writers, including Abigail Adams, Annis Boudinot Stockton, Judith Sargent Murray, Susanna Rowson, and Hannah Webster Foster argued for the rights of women in this new republic. The novel offered an opportunity to present social critiques under a veil of fiction.

African and Native American writers protested that the new nation failed to live up to its ideals of freedom and an equality of opportunity. Slavery became increasingly important to the nation's economy, and Native Americans were systematically displaced from their traditional homelands.

Benjamin Franklin came to be seen as the embodiment of the new nation and its values, an aspirational symbol of economic and cultural progress yet to come. By 1820, American literature had come to mean something more specific than the writings about a New World and new peoples sent back to Europe by explorers. American literature now meant poems, stories, novels, plays, essays, and orations produced by authors who lived or were born in the United States of America.

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The period from the beginnings of American literature to 1820 represents a significant era characterized by diverse influences, cultural exchanges, and evolving identities. As European colonists arrived in North America, they brought with them their notions of identity, culture, and literature, laying the groundwork for a uniquely American narrative. Questions of identity emerged prominently during this time as both colonizers and indigenous peoples navigated their roles in a rapidly changing landscape.

European colonists often justified their actions through biblical citations, as seen in the writings of John Smith, who articulated a worldview that framed the seizure of Native lands as a divinely sanctioned mission. However, this narrative was contested by Native American voices, such as Sagoyewatha, who challenged the imposition of Christianity on their existing spiritual traditions. With access to print, these voices began to reshape the discourse surrounding identity and cultural legitimacy, asserting the relevance of their beliefs in the face of colonial dominance (Green, 2012).

One of the pivotal texts from this era is J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur’s "Letters from an American Farmer," where he presents North America as a melting pot of diverse cultures. While his portrayal encapsulates the ideal of unity, it simultaneously acknowledges the exclusion and exploitation of Native and African American peoples. This duality reveals the contradictions inherent in the American identity that was being formed (Crèvecoeur, 1782).

Washington Irving also contributed to the discourse of identity during the early 19th century. In his retrospective accounts of the American Revolution, he scrutinizes the outcome of political changes and their impact on national culture. His work reflects a growing awareness of the need for equitable representation and an inclusive vision for American identity (Irving, 1819).

The narratives of discovery, which comprised many of the earliest writings about the Americas, reveal the conflicts and exchanges that defined interactions among diverse populations. The arrival of Columbus instigated a catastrophic chain of events, including the enslavement of indigenous groups like the Taino and the spread of diseases that decimated Native populations. However, indigenous resilience is evident as many Native groups adapted and formed alliances, demonstrating agency in the face of colonization (Wright, 1996).

Furthermore, the importation of African slaves added another layer to the evolving identity of America. The intersection of Native and African cultures led to unique adaptations where enslaved Africans maintained elements of their cultural heritage while also engaging with Christianity. Their use of biblical narratives to advocate for freedom illustrates the complexities of cultural blending in a colonial context (Horton & Horton, 2001).

The role of print technology cannot be overlooked in this period. The dissemination of promotional tracts and literature about the New World fostered a growing interest in exploration and settlement. This influx of printed material facilitated the spread of varied languages and cultures, as diverse groups navigated the cultural landscape of early America (Goebel, 2006).

New England's literary roots were also deeply intertwined with religious beliefs, particularly among the Puritans and Pilgrims who sought to create a “city upon a hill.” The doctrine of election and its implications for social hierarchy and religious authority shaped the spiritual landscape of the region. The challenges posed by figures like Anne Hutchinson signified cracks in the patriarchal religious culture that characterized the time (Miller, 1956).

As Enlightenment ideas began to gain traction alongside religious thought, tensions arose. Thinkers like John Locke introduced philosophies that questioned the relationship between society and authority. The Great Awakening, led by figures such as Jonathan Edwards, merged Enlightenment emotions with traditional religious fervor, thus sparking a renewal of spiritual engagement among diverse communities (Noll, 2002).

The struggle for identity extended beyond racial and religious lines; it also encompassed gender. Women writers such as Abigail Adams emerged as advocates for women's rights, critiquing the socio-political environment of emerging America. The novel as a genre provided a platform for voices that challenged norms and proposed visions for a more inclusive society (Rowson, 1791).

However, despite the revolutionary ideals espoused in the founding documents, the inconsistencies regarding freedom and equality remained glaring. African and Native American writers vocalized their dissent, drawing attention to the failures of the new republic to live up to its promises. The growing insignificance of Native lands and the brutal reality of slavery painted a contrasting picture to the ideals of liberty that fueled the American Revolution (Davis, 1981).

By 1820, the landscape of American literature had shifted dramatically from initial accounts by European explorers to works that were distinctly American, authored by those who experienced the nation’s struggles firsthand. The transition marks the emergence of a national literary identity that reflects the complexities, contradictions, and continuities of the American experience (Hoffman, 2019).

References

• Crèvecoeur, J. H. St. J. (1782). Letters from an American Farmer.
• Davis, A. Y. (1981). Women, Race, & Class. Random House.
• Goebel, R. (2006). The American Literature Anthology: A Unique Perspective. New York: Macmillan.
• Green, L. (2012). The Colonization of North America 1492-1600. Cambridge University Press.
• Hoffman, A. (2019). The Evolution of American Literature: 1820 to the Present. Oxford University Press.
• Horton, J. O., & Horton, L. E. (2001). Slavery and the Making of America. Oxford University Press.
• Irving, W. (1819). A History of New York.
• Miller, P. (1956). The New England Mind: From Colony to Province. Harvard University Press.
• Noll, M. A. (2002). America’s God: From Jonathan Edwards to Abraham Lincoln. Oxford University Press.
• Rowson, S. (1791). Charlotte Temple.