Foundations Era

1
Foundations Era

• Beginning of U.S. to 1800

2
General Overview

• Native Americans and settlers met for the first
  time.
• Puritans landed in Massachusetts with
  self-reliant attitude
• America started to form with the idea of
  rationalism Dec. of Independence

3
World Events

• 1521 Aztec Empire Falls to Spanish army
• Shakespeare wrote Macbeth
• Bach completes St. Matthew Passion
• 1763 French Indian war ends
• 1768 Ottoman Empire declares war Russia
• 1789 French revolution begins
• 1796 Small pox vaccine

4
U.S. Events

• 1500 Mohawk leader establishes Iroqouis
  Confederacy
• 1630 Puritans migrate to New England
• 1690 Slavery exists in all colonies
• 1721 Small pox epidemic
• 1773 Boston Tea Party
• 1776 Declaration of Independence
• 1789 George Washington becomes president
• 1793 Cotton gin increases slavery

5
Application.

• Given what was going on in the world and the
  U.S., what might the authors of this period have
  written about?

6
Literary Events

• 1620 William Bradford writes about plantations
• 1650 Anne Bradstreet published in England

7
Literary Events

• 1728 William Byrd writes about history
• 1741 Jonathan Edwards writes Sinners at the
  Hands of an Angry God

8
Literary Events

• 1773 Phillis Wheatley writes religious and
  moral poems
• 1789 Olaudah Equiano writes about life as a
  slave

9
Sub Categories of EraNative American

• Oral Tradition
• Provides explanations of world origins
• Teaches morals
• Connection between world and animals
• Respects speech as a literary form

• Native Tradition
• Relationships with settlers
• Autobiographical writings about slaves

10
Sub Category of EraPuritans

• Connections between Bible events in lives
• Plain writing no complicated figures of speech
• Diaries
• Life is a journey to salvation

11
Sub Category of EraPolitical Writings

• Emergence of deism influence on writers
• Conflict between British
• Seeking independence

12
To Sum Up

• Writings of this time period might contain the
  following traits
• Slavery narratives
• Oral traditions (animals and morals)
• Political writings on freedom from England
• God/higher power

13
Application to Today

• What evidence do we see of the Foundations period
  in literature today?

14
American Literature themes

• American Dream
• The American Dream is the freedom that allows all
  citizens and most residents of the United States
  to pursue their goals in life through hard work
  and free choice (see Immigration to the United
  States). One person may place monetary gain as
  their highest goal, and thus strive for this in a
  very American way, gaining through ability rather
  than social status. For another, the American
  Dream could consist in achieving a state of pure
  freedom from the choke-hold of money and social
  structure. These two examples of the American
  Dream are only drops in an ever-expanding
  spectrum of possibilities. The phrase's meaning
  has evolved over the course of American history.
  The Founding Fathers used the phrase, "life,
  liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." it began
  as the opportunity to achieve greater material
  prosperity than was possible in their countries
  of origin. For others it is the opportunity for
  their children to grow up and receive an
  education and its consequent career
  opportunities. It is the opportunity to make
  individual choices without the restrictions of
  class, caste, religion, race, or ethnic group.
  President Clinton said, "We need a new spirit of
  community, a sense that we are all in this
  together, or the American Dream will continue to
  wither. Our destiny is bound up with the destiny
  of every other American.

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• Justice
• 1.the quality of being just righteousness,
  equitableness, or moral rightness to uphold the
  justice of a cause. 2.rightfulness or lawfulness,
  as of a claim or title justness of ground or
  reason to complain with justice. 3.the moral
  principle determining just conduct.4.conformity
  to this principle, as manifested in conduct just
  conduct, dealing, or treatment.5.the
  administering of deserved punishment or
  reward.6.the maintenance or administration of
  what is just by law, as by judicial or other
  proceedings a court of justice.

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• Inner Struggle
• Inner1.situated within or farther within
  interior an inner door. 2.more intimate,
  private, or secret the inner workings of the
  organization. 3.of or pertaining to the mind or
  spirit mental spiritual the inner life. 4.not
  obvious hidden or obscure an inner meaning.
• Struggle1.to contend with an adversary or
  opposing force.2.to contend resolutely with a
  task, problem, etc. strive to struggle for
  existence. 3.to advance with violent effort to
  struggle through the snow.