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Period: 1500 to
Native Americans
Many cultures and languages
Recording of history was oral
Reverence of nature and worship of many gods.
Well established communities and trading networks. -
Period: to
Unit 1: Early American Literature
-Native Americans told creation stories, histories, songs, lyrics etc.
-Early explorers described the new world - North America
-Puritanical Traditions- steeped in religion; writings plain and to the point, sermons, scientific works and essays.
-Reiterated by the Great Awakening - A need to revive puritanical religious fervour
-Enlightenment - scientific reasoning to politics, science and religion. -
First English Colony
Established in Jamestown, VA. Over the next few years, there were many colonies across the coast. By 1733, several English colonies were established along east coast of North America. -
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Puritanism
Puritans believed that humans were essentially sinful and the Bible would help through these torments.
Hard work, thrift, and responsibility were morally good and success was a mark of God’s approval.
However their rigid religious beliefs made them intolerant to other perspectives. -
Anne Bradstreet verses published
Was the first notable American Poet. She was born in England. In 1650, her brother-in-law published some of her verses without her knowing. -
Unit 2 The Crucible
The Crucible is a play by Arthur Millar written in 1953. It depicts the events of Salem Witch Trials. In the aftermath of the trials, 19 so called witches hanged./ -
Boston Tea Party
A passionate rejection of Britain’s taxes on the colonies and the beginning of the American Revolution. -
The Declaration of Independence
Written by Thomas Jefferson. The Declaration summarized the colonists interests in seeking freedom from Great Britain. It contains the goals for our nation. -
Romanticism
It was a reaction to authority, forms and conventions of the previous period with emphasis on the individual, imagination and emotion, and the beauty of nature, -
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Unit 3 - American Romanticism and Transcendentalism
Romanticists believed in the natural goodness of humans. Knowledge is gained through intuition rather than deduction.
Growth of industry in the north further polarized the north and the agrarian south.
Trancedentalists believe nature reveals spiritual truths.
They were influenced by the works of 18 century philosopher Immanuel Kant. -
Purchase of the Louisiana Territory from France
The Louisiana purchase doubles the size of the country. In the years that followed, explorers and settlers pushed farther and farther west. -
"The Devil and Tom Walker" Published
First published in 1824 by Washington Irving, "The Devil and Tom Walker" is an interesting short story about greed and how it can lead to your downfall. -
Emerson and co. form Transcendentalist Club
Emerson along with Thoreau, Margaret, Fuller, and others formed the club. It emphasized living a simple life and celebrating the truth found in nature and in personal emotion and imagination. -
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was part of the Fireside poets. In 1839 at the age of 32, he published his first collection of poems, "The Voices of the Night". -
Fugitive Slave Act
In 1850, Congress passes the Fugitive Slave Act, forcing officials in Northern states to return escaped slaves to their owners. -
Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was a social reformer, abolitionist, orator, writer, and statesman. He became one of the most famous intellectuals of his time. In 1855, Frederick Douglass publishes his autobiographical slave narrative, "My bondage and My Freedom". -
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Unit 4: Romanticism to Realism
Personal experience was fundamental to the literature of this time and Civil War made the transition to Realism. Writers from all walks of life shared their ‘civil war’ whether to a small audience such as friends and families, or to the country at large such as the Gettysburg Address.
Personal experience of the here and now was fundamental to the literature of this time such as slave narratives, war experiences, public documents all make the reader want to care. -
Preston B. Brooks beats Charles Sumner
In 1856 Preston B. Brooks beat Charles Sumner with a cane on the floor of the Senate in retaliation for Sumner's antislavery speech. -
Civil War Begins
Confederate guns fire at Fort Sumter, South Carolina, launching the Civil War. The was would last for four more years. The war ended on April 9, 1865. -
Gettysburg Address
Abraham Lincoln delivered the Gettysburg Address in 1863.
He delivered the speech at the dedication of the Soldiers' National Cemetery in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, during the Civil War. He had many reasons for delivering the speech, but one of the most important reasons was to unite the country. -
Titanic Sinks
In 1912, the Titanic, holding more about 1500 people, sank. It was traveling from England to New York. It was such a huge historical moment, a movie was made about it. It was hit by an iceberg, however over the years people have been making different speculations about how it sank. -
The Great Gatsby
The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Similar to Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie want to run a big farm together, and Gatsby wants Daisy. Both main characters have dreams. Both American dreams fail. -
The Great Depression
The Great Depression was the worst economic downfall in history. It started after the stock market crashed in 1929. Shares of stock were sold by investors who lost confidence in the American economy. Millions of Americans lost their jobs. Millions become homeless. The Great Depression changed the federal government in the nation's economy. -
"Of Mice and Men"
The book "Of Mice and Men" was set in the 1930s in the Salinas Valley, California. It depicts two men, George and Lennie, who get hired to work on a ranch. The two dream of eventually owning a farm, along with Candy, an old ranch worker. However despite their plan, they encounter many setbacks and eventually their dream gets demolished.
