exploration of the americas - david-glen smith
TRANSCRIPT
revised 07.15.10 || English 2327: American Literature I || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Exploration of the Americas
2revised 07.15.10 || English 2327: American Literature I || D. Glen Smith, instructor
1469 • SpainisunifiedwithmarriageofFerdinandandIsabellaI.
1492 •FirstexpeditiontotheWestIndies;ColumbusclaimslandsforSpain.
•RodericdeBorjaiBorja(Italianized-Borgia)namedasPopeAlexanderVI.
OneofthemostcontroversialRenaissancepopes.
BornintheKingdomofValencia,whichisnowmodernSpain.
• TheInquistor-General,TorquemadagivesSpanishJewsthreemonthsto
acceptChristianityorleavethecountry.
1493 • PopeAlexanderVIpapalbull“Intercaeteradivina”whichdividestheNewWorld
betweenSpainandPortugal.Thesetwocountriesgainsovereigntyoverallthe
newlanddiscoveredacrosstheAtlantic,solongastheterritoryfoundwasnot
alreadyunderanotherChristianprince.Ofcourse,othercountriestakeexception
tothefavoritism.
1502 • BartolomédelasCasas,ateighteen,emigratestoCubagainingproperty,slaves.
1510 • BartolomédelasCasasbecomesDominicanpriestwhileinNewWorld;
relinquisheshisslaves.
Time Line Review
3revised 07.20.10 || English 2327: American Literature I || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Time Line Review - Overview1530 • EnglishKingHenryVIIIestablishesChurchofEngland.
1542 • BartolomédelasCasaswritesA Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies
bringingtheunjusttreatmentofNativeAmericanstotheattentionofPhilipII.
1549 • PublicationoftheBook of Common Prayer,establishingprayersfor
recitationinEnglish
1552 • BartolomédelasCasaspublishesA Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies
bringingtheunjusttreatmentofNativeAmericanstotheattentionofthepublic.
1560 • ThecompleteGenevaBibleispublishedinEnglish.
1566 • BartolomédelasCasasdiesinMadridatapproximately81yearsold.
1584 • SirWalterRaleighplanstheColonyandDominionofVirginia.
1585 • ThomasHariotvisitsRoanokeIsland,learnslanguageoftheAlgonquiantribe.
1588 •DestructionofPhilipII’sSpanishArmadaunderEngland’sQueenElizabethI.
• ThomasHariotpublishesA Brief and True Report of the Newfound Land of
Virginia.Thisisanattempttopresentanaccurateportrayalofthenativepeople.
4revised 07.20.10 || English 2327: American Literature I || D. Glen Smith, instructor
1594 • SirWalterRaleighhearsofa“CityofGold”inSouthAmerica;explorestheregion,
andpublishesanexaggeratedaccountofhisexperiences.
1597 • EnglishActofParliamentcreatessentencesoftransportationtocoloniesfor
convictedcriminals.
1597 • JamesVIofScotland(laterJamesIofEngland)publishes
The True Law of Free Monarchies
1603 • QueenElizabethIofEnglanddies.JamesIofEnglandnamedheir.
1606 • VirginiaCompanyofLondonisgrantedroyalcharter;sends120coloniststoVA.
1607 • Jamestown,firstEnglishsettlementonAmericanmainlandisfounded.
•WilliamBradfordandotherSeparatistsmovetotheNetherlands.
1609 • PublicationofShake-speares Sonnets: Never Before Imprinted
1611 • PublicationoftheKing James Version of the Bible
1620 • TheMayflowerleavesEnglandandreachesCapeCodafter64days
• SigningoftheMayflowerCompact
1621 • WilliamBradfordbecomesleaderofPlymouthColony
Time Line Overview
5revised 07.15.10 || English 2327: American Literature I || D. Glen Smith, instructor
• Acharteredcompanyisanassociationformedbyinvestorsorshareholders
forthepurposeoftrade,explorationandcolonization.
• JohnSmith’spublicationA Description of New Englandwascreatedto
findsuchcompaniesandindividualstosupportnewerexpeditionstothe
NewWorld.
• Companiesenabledmerchantstobandtogethertoundertakeventures
requiringmorecapitalthanwasavailabletoanyonemerchantorfamily.
Thepurposeofsuchcompanieswastocollectfinancestounderwriteand
insurethevessels,contents,andcrew.
• Profitscouldbemadefromthereturnvoyages.
• Conflictionsoverterritoryrightswerecommon.
Charter Companies
6revised 07.15.10 || English 2327: American Literature I || D. Glen Smith, instructor
James VI of Scotland states:
Accordingtothesefundamentallawsalreadyalleged,wedailyseethatinthepar-
liament(whichisnothingelsebuttheheadcourtofthekingandhisvassals)the
lawsarebutcravedbyhissubjects,andonlymadebyhimattheir[proposal]and
withtheiradvice;foralbeitthekingmakedailystatutesandordinances,[impos-
ing]suchpainstheretoashethinks[fit],withoutanyadviceofparliamentores-
tates,yetitliesinthepowerofnoparliamenttomakeanykindoflaworstatute,
withouthissceptre[thatis,authority]betoit,forgivingittheforceofalaw
. . . Andasyeseeitmanifestthatthekingisover-lordofthewholeland,soishe
masterovereverypersonthatinhabiteththesame,havingpoweroverthelifeand
deathofeveryoneofthem;foralthoughajustprincewillnottakethelifeofany
ofhissubjectswithoutaclearlaw,yetthesamelawswherebyhetakeththemare
madebyhimselforhispredecessors,andsothepowerflowsalwaysfromhimself
. . .
True Law of Free Monarchies
7revised 07.15.10 || English 2327: American Literature I || D. Glen Smith, instructor
True Law of Free Monarchies
Whereheseesthelawdoubtsomeorrigorous,hemayinterpretormitigatethe
same,lestotherwisesummum jus be summa injuria[thegreatestrightbethe
greatestwrong],andthereforegenerallawsmadepubliclyinparliamentmay
upon...[thekings]authoritybemitigatedandsuspendeduponcausesonly
knowntohim.
Aslikewise,althoughIhavesaidagoodkingwillframeallhisactionstobeac-
cordingtothelaw,yetishenotboundtheretobutofhisgoodwillandforgood
example—givingtohissubjects...SoasIhavealreadysaid,agoodking,though
hebeabovethelaw,willsubjectandframehisactionsthereto,forexample’ssake
tohissubjects,andofhisownfreewill,butnotassubjectorboundthereto...
8revised 07.15.10 || English 2327: American Literature I || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Generalities regarding Puritan Movement
DuringtheEnglishreignofJamesI,(1603-1625)theEnglishPuritanstriedto
establishastrongerreformwithintheChurchofEngland.
Disagreements which resulted in the Separatists movement:
• Puritans(afactionintheChurchofEngland)deniedtheDivineRightofKings
• dislikedtheBook of Common Prayer
• somePuritangroupswillmaintaintheirmembershipandallegiancetothe
ChurchofEnglanddespitetheirfeelings,however:
• Separatists(likethePilgrims)heldthattheirdifferenceswiththeChurchof
Englandwereirreconcilableandthattheirworshipshouldbeorganized
independentlyofthetraditionsandorganizationofacentralstatechurch
• evenasSeparatiststheyconsideredthemselvestobeEnglish
andasacolonytheywereunderthedominionoftheEnglishking.
9revised 07.15.10 || English 2327: American Literature I || D. Glen Smith, instructor
William Bradford
• AmemberofwhatiscalledtheScroobymovement,acollectionofSeparatists.
•ThemovedtotheNetherlandstemporarilyin1607,onlytoleave
duetosocial/politicalreasons.ItwasherethatBradforddevelopedhissense
ofwriting,closelymirroringtranslationsfromtheBible,parallelstructures
ofrhythmandimage.Thiswashisstrongestinfluenceonhisown
rhetoricalprocess.
• During1620,BradfordleavesEnglandaboardtheMayflower.
•BradfordwasoneoftheoriginalsignersoftheMayflowerCompact.
• HewaselectedgovernorofthePlymouthcolonythirtytimesduringhislife.
• Hebelievedthathewasselectedtoleadhispeoplebydivineauthority.
•HiswritingstyleistermedthePuritan “plain style”whichothersutilizedin
theColonies.
10revised 07.15.10 || English 2327: American Literature I || D. Glen Smith, instructor
Puritan Plain Style
• containsalackofanyovertornamentation
• functionrulesoveralldecoration
• worksareverydidactic,mustpreachalesson,provideamoral
• limiteduseofadjectives,orcolors,orovertdescriptions
• emphasisisplacedonnounsandverbs
• limitedemphasisonemotionsandreactions;arousing passion is dangerous
•God’screativeworkshouldbefocusoftheworkandnotthewriter’scraftitself
•materialfocusesonplain,simple,hardworkingthemes
• Godshouldbeglorifiedinany/everydailyaction
• meditationontheordinarychorebuildsaconnectiontoarighteouspath
• atanyopportunityGodshouldbeacknowledgedinthework
11revised 07.15.10 || English 2327: American Literature I || D. Glen Smith, instructor
History Of Plymouth PlantationChapter IV “Showing the Reasons and Causes of Their Removal”
Theplacetheyhadthoughtsonwassomeofthosevastandunpeopledcoun-
triesofAmerica,whicharefruitfulandfitforhabitation,beingdevoidofallcivil
inhabitants,wherethereareonlysavageandbrutishmenwhichrangeupand
down,littleotherwisethanthewildbeastsofthesame...Andyetiftheyshould,
themiseriesofthelandwhichtheyshouldbeexposedunto,wouldbetoohardto
beborne;andlikely,someorallofthemtogether,toconsumeandutterlytoruin-
atethem.Fortheretheyshouldbeliabletofamine,andnakedness,andthewant,
inamanner,ofallthings.Thechangeinair,diet,anddrinkingofwater,would
infecttheirbodieswithsoresickness,andgrievousdiseases.
12revised 07.15.10 || English 2327: American Literature I || D. Glen Smith, instructor
History Of Plymouth Plantation
Andalsothosewhichshouldescapeorovercomethesedifficulties,shouldyet
beincontinualdangerofthesavagepeople,whoarecruel,barbarous,andmost
treacherous,beingmostfuriousintheirrage,andmercilesswheretheyover-
come;notbeingcontentonlytokill,andtakeawaylife,butdelighttotorment
meninthemostbloodymannerthatmaybe;flayingsomealivewiththeshells
offishes,cuttingoffthemembersandjointsofothersbypiecemeal,andbroiling
onthecoals,eatthecollopsoftheirfleshintheirsightwhilsttheylive;withother
crueltieshorribletoberelated.Andsurelyitcouldnotbethoughtbutthevery
hearingofthesethingscouldnotbutmovetheverybowelsofmentogratewithin
them,andmaketheweaktoquakeandtremble.