Captain John Smith

(1580-1631)

ü one of the first American colonists;

ü explorer and adventurer;

“A Description of New England” (1616) - the first published report of the first permanent English colony.

Cotton Mather

(1596-1669)

ü a puritan minister;

ü more than 450 books of religious content;

ü discourse on the doctrine of one’s calling in life;

ü Writings about witchcraft terror in Salem, Massachusetts.

Poetry:

Ann Bradstreet, Edward Taylor

ü Laid the foundation of American poetry.

Ann Bradstreet

(1612-1672)

ü the daughter of the Governor of Massachusetts;

ü the volume of verse “The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America”:

ü religious poems;

ü Poems about her daily life.

Edward Taylor

(1642-1729)

ü a puritan clergyman;

ü a series of “Meditation”:

ü celebrated God’s power;

ü Interpreted the Puritan doctrines of selection and condemnation.

William Bradford

(1590-1657)

ü the governor of the Plymouth colony;

ü “Of Plymouth Plantation”, 1620-1647;

ü Published in 1856;

ü Gives realistic description of the early settlement;

ü A source of information about the Puritans’ voyage and challenges that the settlers faced.

John Winthrop

(1588-1649)

ü The first governer of Massachusetts;

ü Sermons concerning the Puritans’ hopes for their American mission;

ü “A Model of Christian Charity”:

- America will be “a beacon upon a hill” for other peoples.

Enlightenment in America

Enlightenment – intellectual movement which developed in Europe in the 17-18th centuries;

The Enlightenment in America is characterized by:

ü faith in reason and progress;

ü religious tolerance;

ü faith in education;

ü science;

ü Critique of traditions.

Enlightenment in America:

ü Was expressed in the War for Independence.

Its chief aims were:

ü to expose the tyranny of monarchism

ü To defuse republican ideas.

The main writers:

ü Benjamin Franklin

ü Thomas Jefferson

ü Thomas Paine

ü Philip Freneau (poet)