Yesterday, the greatest question was decided which ever was debated in America; and a greater perhaps

never was, nor will be, decided among men. A resolution was passed without one dissenting

colony, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free, and independent states.

John Adams

The Revolutionary Period 1750-1800

More than a decade of struggle to establish the new nation followed. During those years – indeed, during the entire second half of the eighteenth century - American literature was largely political.So dominant was the question of our relationship to England, and so talented and literate were the statesmen of the emerging nation, that some of the most notable writers of the period were the founders of the republic.

John Adams became the second President of the United States. The previous quote was written by him in a letter to his wife on the eve of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The signing of the Declaration on July 4, 1776, capped more than a decade of controversy between England and the American colonies.

It is easy to forget how long the 13 original states had been colonies.

By 1750 there were fourth and fifth generation Americans of European descent living in Virginia and New England.

THE HISTORICAL SETTING

Year by year, decade by decade, Americans acquired experience in the art of self-government.

As late as the early 1760’s, however, few Americans had given much thought to the prospect of independence

THE HISTORICAL SETTING

Between 1765 and 1775, the attitudes of the colonists changed dramatically…

King George III and parliament imposed a number of unwise regulations the threatened the liberties of the colonists.

With each succeeding measure, the outrage in America grew, finally erupting in war.

THE HISTORICAL SETTING

The 18th century is often characterized as the Age of Reason, or the Enlightenment.

This movement was spurred on by the work of 17th century scientists such as Galileo and Sir Isaac Newton

These writers and thinkers of the Enlightenment valued reason over faith

Unlike the Puritans, they had little interest in the hereafter, believing instead in the power of reason and science to further human progress.

The Age of Reason

They spoke of a social contract that forms the basis of democratic government…

Above all, they believed that people are by nature good, not evil. Among the most influential figures of the Enlightenment were

the French writer, Voltaire; the French philosopher Jean Jacques Rousseau; the English political historian John Locke, and the Scottish historian David Hume

Educated readers in the American colonies were familiar with the writings of these men….

The Age of Reason

The American Revolution was preceded by the French and Indian War (a struggle between England and France over control of North America

When the French and Indian War officially ended in 1763, France gave up its claims to North American territory

Toward a Clash of Arms

The British government, wanting to raise revenue in the colonies to pay their war debt, make a series of unfortunate decisions which sets the stage for war….

Toward a Clash of Arms

The Stamp Act of 1765Required buying and

affixing stamps on 54 kinds of items:NewspapersPlaying cardsLegal documentsAlmanacs

Colonists responded by:Burning stampsBeating stamp

distributorsDestroying shops

No deaths > Act was repealed within 6 months

Toward a Clash of Arms

Townshend Acts 1767Taxed:

PaperPaintGlassLeadTea

Colonists boycotted British sent troops to

Boston “Boston Massacre”

“Redcoats” fired on a taunting mob, killing five people

Toward a Clash of Arms

Repealed all Townshend taxes except for teaTea Act (1773)

Gave a monopoly of the American tea trade to an English company

Bostonians (dressed as Mohawks) dumped a tea shipment into the Boston harbor – “The Boston Tea Party”

As punishment the Coercive Acts were imposed

Toward a Clash of Arms

Coercive Acts (1773-74)AKA: Intolerable ActsClosed port of Boston until the East India Tea Co. was

reimbursed for their shipment“Royal” governor took control of MA

Sheriffs and juries became “Royal” employeesBritish imposed the right to quarter (house) soldiers

anywhere This united the Colonists against the British

Colonial leaders met in Philadelphia for the first Continental Congress.

Toward a Clash of Arms

April 18, 1775Shots were fired in Lexington, Mass.

Eight Americans killedRedcoats continued to Concord, Mass.

Two Americans were killed Three Redcoats killed

“The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”

The Revolutionary War 1775-1781

Key BattlesBattle of Bunker Hill –

killed or wounded 1,000+ British soldiers; the Second Continental Congress meets in Philadelphia and appoints the first official Commander in Chief of the American Army; this, of course, is George Washington

Battle of Saratoga – after this victory, France began to commit troops to the aid of the American cause…

The Revolutionary War 1775-1781

The war finally comes to an end at Yorktown, Virginia, on October 19, 1781General Cornwallis surrenders seeing that

escape is impossible

The Revolutionary War 1775-1781

Unlike the Puritans, writing during the Revolutionary period or “Age of Reason” was not focused on private soul- searching. Rather, it was public writing

The mind of the nation was on politics and so was the writing/rhetoric

The writing of permanent importance from the Revolutionary era is mostly political writing.

LITERATURE IN A TIME OF CRISIS

Patrick HenrySpeech against the Stamp

ActSpeech at the Virginia

ConventionExpressed ideas of

independence from BritainThomas Paine

Most influential“Common Sense” pamphlet

Jan. 1776Sold 100,000 copies in

three months

Politics as Literature

Thomas JeffersonDeclaration of

IndependenceThe Constitution

Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John JayThe Federalist Letters to NY

newspapersLater published as

a collection of essays

Politics as Literature

America was beginning to separate itself culturally from England; however, there were still no notable American novels or plays

The modern short story still had not been invented

Sound, clear arguments in support of causes were considered the great literary works of the day

Most writing written work was in the form of:

PamphletsPolitical documentsSpeeches

Politics as Literature

During this period, America began to establish a cultural identity of its own…

Theaters were built from New York to Charleston…

A number of new colleges were established after the war…

The Cultural Scene

By the early 1800s… America could boast a small body of national literature

Native Americans had contributed haunting poetry and legends through their oral traditions

American Literature at Daybreak

The Puritans had written a number of powerful, inward-looking works…

The statesmen of the Revolutionary period produced political documents for the ages

American Literature at Daybreak

The raw materials for a great national literature were at hand, waiting to be used.

The nation stood on the threshold of a territorial and population explosion unique in the history of the world.

American Literature at Daybreak