Warm Up

Personification: The use of human characteristics to describe animals, things, or ideas.

Carl Sandburg’s poem “Chicago” describes the city as “Stormy, husky, brawling. / City of the Big Shoulders.”

Write a poem (or prose) personifying either the city of Charlotte or Northwest School of the Arts.

Early American Writing

(1600-1800)

For many people, early America was an experiment in hope. Explorers seeking adventure, settlers searching for religious freedom, colonists building communities, revolutionaries designing a new government—all embraced their challenges with a sense of faith and purpose. Writers of the day recorded and interpreted the extraordinary experiences of these ordinary people. They and their fellow colonists imagined and created an entirely new country and unique way of life.

Historical Context

Early American literature captures a nation in its infancy. From the first interactions between Native Americans and Europeans to the stirring cries of the Revolutionary War, writers chronicled the tensions and the triumphs of the

day.

1.) Native American 2.) Early Settlers and Explorers 3.) Revolutionists

Early American Writing

Who discovered America?

A.) Christopher ColumbusB.) Leif ErikssonC.) Amerigo VespucciD.) the PilgrimsE.) none of the above

The answer is letter e. It’s true that all the people above came to the Americas. But these Europeans didn’t discover what they came to call the “new World” any more than bears discovered honey. The land was just new to them because they hadn’t known it existed.

What was life like in the Americas prior to the

arrival of the Europeans? How do the William Wood and William

Bradford quotations illustrate the clash of cultures that occurred when Europeans and Native Americans first met?

Were Wood and Bradford fair in their assessment of the landscape and population of North America?

The Meeting of Two Worlds

William BradfordGovernor of Plymouth Plantation

The first permanent colony was established at

Jamestown in 1607 (13 years before the Pilgrims!). Remained loyal to British parliament.

From Colony to Colony

British soldiers were sent to fight in the French and Indian War (1759-1763) when France allied with Native Americans.

Tax to recover war debt “No taxation without representation” 1776 fought and defeated Great Britain! Documents we will study…

Declaration of Independence Constitution of the United States

U.S.A is born!

French and Indian War Stamp Act and Tea Act Boston Tea Party Revolutionary War Birth of a nation

A Break with England

Cultural Influences

Why did people come to the New World?

Religion was the most influential cultural force on

writers of this period. Puritan values and beliefs directed people’s everyday lives as well as the formation of an American society.

How would Puritan values contributed to the success of the settlements?

Puritan writers Believed writing should be useful and clear Wrote histories, sermons, scientific works, and essays Delivered sermons contrasting good and evil Wrote poems with religious themes

Puritan Beliefs

Early American Literature

The Native American Experience

Similarities in Native American Culture

oral tradition: the practice of storytelling to pass

a group’s memories, histories, and stories from one generation to the next”

legendary histories: stories passed down from earlier times and popularly regarded as true”

From the perspective of the Native American holy woman, how is oral tradition more meaningful than the written word?

Why is preservation through oral tradition more vulnerable to loss than preservation through written works?

Native American Culture