Literatura Norte-americana Formação aula 1

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The Colonial Experience
Professor Anderson Soares Gomes
Description
Main literary works, authors, and features of Colonial America.
Purpose
To introduce the most important historical and literary aspects of the colonial period in the United States. By
means of studying some of the most relevant authors, works and themes in Colonial America, one will be
better equipped to understand American literature and its culture.
Preparation
Before beginning this Unit, make sure you have a dictionary of literary terms so that you can easily navigate
some of the elements that compose North American literature. We recommend the Glossary of Literary
Terms available on LiteraryTerms.net.
Goals
Section 1
The colonization of America: Captain John Smith
To identify the importance of John Smith for the shaping of the American culture.
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Section 2
The Puritans - social and literary perspectives:
William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, Michael
Wigglesworth
To relate America’s first literary expressions with Puritan beliefs.
Section 3
Enlightenment In�uences: Jonathan Edwards,
Thomas Paine, and Benjamin Franklin
To locate the philosophical foundations of the American culture.
In this Unit, you will get acquainted with the main historical and literary features that form the
foundation of what we know as American literature. We will discuss authors and works that
contributed to establishing central ideas that shape American culture and society until today.
Each section thus aims at bringing awareness to a different facet that constitutes an important
general theme in colonial American literature. First, we will see the beginning of the colonization of
the United States, considering its political and geographic characteristics, focusing on the author who
best embodied this pivotal moment in American history: John Smith. Then, we will discuss one of the
most important moments in the formation of the United States: the Puritan period. In this section, we
will talk about who the Puritans were and how religious tenets of Calvinist Protestantism served as
the foundation for a whole literary style. Finally, we will consider the historical and philosophical
features of the Enlightenment, and how they were essential to give rise to new perspectives that
would forever change American literature.
Warm up
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1 - The colonization of America: Captain
John Smith
By the end of this section, you will be able to identify the importance of
John Smith for the shaping of the American culture.
America as a concept
What is “America”?
Before investigating the historical, social, and cultural seeds that generated what we know today as the
literature of the United States, it is important to briefly discuss the “America” behind what is understood as
“American” literature.
The United States of America is a country whose name - in the plural - already constitutes a multiple and
varied nature, an indicator that its people and its identity were built through the alignment of common goals
and the overcoming of differences. However, several people, especially those born in the US, tend to refer to
the country as “America”, and therefore its citizens are known as Americans.
The fact that a single country comes to be recognized as America is at least imprecise, and at most, simply
wrong. After all, America is a continent, and inhabitants of other countries in North America, Central America,
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and South America can also be considered “Americans”. On the other hand, when the US refers to itself as
America, more than a geographical understanding is at work.
“America” becomes an idea: an embodiment of democracy, individual
liberties, and opportunity.
It is a place where strong-willed individuals who work hard can strive to be successful. This “America” as a
concept, more than a place, can be as real as it can be fictional. But it hasn’t always been like that.
The colonization of the “New World”
The �rst Americans
The place which is today called the United States was a richly diverse territory before the arrival of the first
Europeans. Vast regions of North America were inhabited by indigenous populations, more commonly called
today as “First Nations” or Native Americans. They had been living there for at least 50,000 years before the
arrival of white settlers.
Indigenous populations were part of many different groups, with varied cultures, languages, and practices.
While some were hunter-gatherers, others already knew agriculture; while some valued peace, others
belonged to warrior communities. Important groups - or “nations” - such as the Apache, the Sioux, and the
Iroquois, among others, ruled the land in large numbers.
Native Americans, Sioux Indians. Photograph by George E. Hyde, Nebraska, circa 1865-1880.
Even though these groups had a different level of social organization from other indigenous populations of
the Americas such as the Mayans and the Aztecs, they established a thriving village culture. Some native
American practices and features have become symbols of this early period of the United States. One of them
is the utilization of the buffalo for the survival of the communities. Since the animal was a source for food,
clothing, and even shelter for several people (especially the Sioux), indigenous populations of the central
plains of North America were highly dependent on the herds.
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Attention!
It is also important to highlight that several groups of Native Americans had a significant storytelling
tradition that passed on from generation to generation. A typical type of narrative involved creation myths.
Even though they were never written down, those stories conceive different perspectives about the world and
the forms of life in it. The Iroquois, the Pima, and the Sioux are among nations that developed highly complex
myths (or we might even call them “histories”) of the creation of the world, normally establishing the
relevance of the bonds between people and nature.
Colonization and the role of England
The arrival of Europeans in America is surrounded by legend, controversy, and different versions. In terms of
actual archaeological evidence, it is possible to say that Vikings had briefly settled in the continent by the 9th
century. However, the enduring occupation of America was only carried out after the arrival of Christopher
Columbus in 1492. In the following years, Spanish “conquistadores” would reach the continent in search of
riches, such as gold and silver.
The consequences were the pillaging of cities, the destruction of entire civilizations
(like the Aztecs and the Incas), and an unprecedented level of genocide.
At first, England played a secondary role in the colonization of the “New World”, as it was called by
Europeans. Since most territories in the Americas were occupied by the Spanish (and later by the
Portuguese), the English Crown tried to take hold of the riches found in those new lands by secretly
sponsoring pirates and buccaneers, who pillaged ships in search of precious minerals. In 1497, King Henry
VII hires a seaman named John Cabot to find a passage to Asia, and he can reach the coast of North
America but is unable to settle there.
Almost a century later, the English made a more serious attempt at colonizing the new world.
In 1584, Queen Elizabeth I financed several expeditions of the famous explorer Walter Raleigh to NorthAmerica. He named the territory “Virginia” as a tribute to the English monarch, who was known as “the Virgin
Queen”.
However, a mixture of lack of preparation and extreme situations faced by these settlers (diseases, famine,
attacks from the natives) put an end to this English endeavor.
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Illustration: Raleigh's First Pipe in England.
A new attempt at the colonization
Jamestown
In the early 17th century, England was under the rule of a new monarch - King James I - and ready to make
another attempt at the colonization of the New World. The strategy, nevertheless, was very different from the
one implemented by Elizabeth I. Instead of supporting individual explorers, these new settlers represented
English companies that belonged to rich London investors, such as the Virginia Company and the Plymouth
Company.
Comment
Under this almost capitalist form of the exploration of the land, the companies were allowed by the English
Crown to profit from the process of colonization. Thus, the English colonization presented a striking
difference when compared to the one established by Spain: it is an enterprise conducted by the private
sector, and not by the State.
The first English settlement under this new model of colonization was Jamestown, established in Virginia in
1607. These colonists, who were, to a certain extent, employees of the Virginia Company, had been sent to
America to find gold and provide profit to their financiers. Most of them did not know farming techniques or
had not previously done any sort of manual labor - they were either townsmen or simply people in search of
riches.
Apart from looking for gold, these colonists were also men searching
for land.
One of the most appealing reasons for taking the difficult journey to the New World was that in America,
unlike in Europe, everyone would have the right to a piece of land. This did not always prove right, especially
when the Virginia Company, seeing that gold was not abundant in the region, decided to invest in tobacco
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plantations. Colonists, then, became ‘indentured servants’, i.e., people who had to work for years to pay the
company for the food, clothes, and the journey to America. Homeless children and English prisoners were
also sent to Jamestown, along with women who were auctioned in the public square to be the settlers’
wives.
Exterior of buildings and some armour in historic Jamestown, Virginia, site of the first English Colony.
Life in Jamestown was strenuous and challenging. Since most settlers had little knowledge of hunting,
farming and woodwork, several died of starvation and diseases. For some time, there were also conflicts
with indigenous populations which took lives on both sides. Later, however, trading with the native peoples
was essential for the survival of the colony.
At its lowest point, Jamestown had only sixty people in March 1610, from a number of 500 just five months
before. In several of those tumultuous times in the colony, one man took central a role: Captain John Smith.
John Smith (1580-1631)
The fact that the colonization model carried out by the English relied on private companies did not mean that
adventurous figures entirely disappeared from the settlement venture. One of the most notorious individuals
of the period was Captain John Smith, a man whose name would gain almost mythical qualities.
Before reaching the New World, Smith had already had an eventful life: he had fought in the Netherlands,
joined the Austrian army against the Turks, was captured and sold as a slave, and finally murdered his
captors to return to England. Crossing the Atlantic to reach America was just another of his great
adventures, but one that would make him part of American history and literature.
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After some confrontations with other colonists, Smith took some official roles in Jamestown and was
elected president of the council (a role akin to governor).
Comment
He was a leading figure in the exploration of the land and the organization of labor, becoming knowledgeable
in the ways of the colony and keeping the settlers united. Smith also developed a peculiar relationship with
the indigenous populations, a fact that would contribute to his later fame.
In 1609, Smith left Jamestown after being badly injured after a gunpowder explosion and went back to
England. He returned to America in 1614 once more in search of riches, and the region he explored (which
would be today the states of Maine and Massachusetts) was named by him “New England”. Smith then
dedicated himself to producing a series of texts narrating his experiences in America that shaped the way
that future colonists would see the new continent. Moreover, Smith’s works would serve as the foundation of
American literature and consolidate his name as one of the central figures in American history.
Advertising America
A Description of New England (1616)
After returning to England, John Smith wrote a series of works that consisted of narratives and descriptions
of his experience in America. From these publications, one of the most remarkable is A Description of New
England, published in 1616. In this work, as well as in other writings, Smith adopted an almost advertising
position, aiming at convincing possible future colonists to settle in the New World. Many passages of A
Description of New England depict:
The abundant nature
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The diverse wildlife
The varied geographical features of America
On the other hand, he indicates how challenging starting over in that land might be, dealing with a new
territory that required a new set of skills and even a new life perspective. The point was highlighting how only
those who persisted and were able to really take advantage of opportunities could achieve something
extraordinary. One of the text’s main ideas was the connection established between the development of
America with the enhancement of individual qualities:
Who can desire more content, that hath small means; or but only his merit to advance his fortune,
than to tread, and plant that ground he hath purchased by the hazard of his life? (…) what to such a
mind can be more pleasant, than planting and building a foundation for his posterity, got from the
rude earth, by god’s blessing and his own industry, without prejudice to any? (…) what so truly suits
with honor and honesty, as the discovering things unknown? erecting towns, peopling countries,
informing the ignorant, reforming things unjust, teaching virtue and gain to our native mother
country a kingdom to attend her.
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(BAYM, 2008, p. 54)
In this passage, Smith states that the best way for the common man (he “that hath small means”) to achieve
financial success (“advance his fortune”) is to work in the new land that he received (“tread and plant that
ground”). However, it is important to highlight that that land was granted not without merit: a person had to
take risks and face struggles (“the hazard of his life”) to succeed. Moreover, it is only those who work hard
(“industry”) and possess true “honor” and “honesty” who can build a new colony (“erecting towns”, etc.) that
will bring riches to England (“gain to our native country a kingdom”).
Thus, in A Description of New England, John Smith presented a vision of America that has persisted
throughout history and informed several other writers:
That of a “land of opportunity”, whereone is rewarded with individual success if
willing to also strive for the success of the country.
In doing so, Smith played a central role in attracting potential colonists to the territory that would become the
United States.
The General History of Virginia (1624)
Published years after Smith had left Jamestown, The General History of Virginia is an account of the events
that happened in the colony and other areas while (and after) Smith stayed there. It is in this book that the
most famous story involving John Smith took place, one that would make him an American legend: a tale
regarding his connection with the Native American “princess”, Pocahontas.
In the book, Smith narrates an episode in which he was captured and imprisoned by Powhatan, chief of the
Chesapeake Bay indigenous community. In the moment he was going to be executed, the chief’s daughter
Pocahontas placed herself between him and her people, saving Smith’s life. This moment is presented in the
following way:
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(…) two great stones were brought before Powhatan; then as many as could, laid hands on him,
dragged him to them, and thereon laid his head and being ready with their clubs to beat out his
brains, Pocahontas, the King’s dearest daughter, when no entreaty could prevail, got his head in her
arms and laid her own upon his to save him from death.
(BAYM, 2008, p. 54)
Based on those few lines, the story of John Smith and Pocahontas entered American myth, resulting in
countless books, songs, and films. The general understanding was that these two characters composed a
perfect tale of forbidden love in the American wilderness.
Furthermore, this romantic perspective also helped articulate a peaceful and idyllic
version of the New World, in which love could bloom amidst an untamable nature.
In terms of historical proof, nevertheless, there is no evidence that the episode actually happened, or at least
took place the way Smith describes. First of all, it is curious that not only did Smith tell this story fifteen years
after leaving Jamestown, but also seven years after the death of Pocahontas. By then, she had accepted the
Christian faith, changed her name to Rebecca, and married a tobacco farmer called John Rolfe. She died in
England, in 1617, while making the journey back to America.
It is also not clear that Smith was in real danger when among the Native Americans. Since he did not know
the language and the customs of Chesapeake Bay community, he might have been part of an adoption
ceremony, especially because Powhatan had already tried to use Smith as his lieutenant in wars with other
groups. Therefore, the story of the relationship between John Smith and Pocahontas could be at least an
exaggerated tale, and at most a total fabrication.
Smith Island in the Chesapeake Bay.
In the end, the colonization of North America was a complex enterprise, involving not only the native
populations who already inhabited those lands but also the expectations of the Europeans who aimed at
settling as well as finding new riches. It was a troublesome and hard experience, but one which would help to
establish some of the key notions that pervade American literature until today.
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Captain John Smith
Who’s Captain John Smith? Do you want to learn more about this almost mythical figure? In this video,
Professor Anderson Gomes will talk about the central role he played in Jamestown and about the
importance of his works.
You are very close to reaching your goals.
Let’s practice!

Question 1
The first English settlement under a new mode of colonization was Jamestown. One characteristic of
the model of colonization conducted in Jamestown was:
A a mutual understanding with the indigenous populations.
B the dependence on the financial structure of the State.
C an emphasis on the exporting of agricultural goods.
D the exploration of the land by private companies.
E the exploration of the land by individual explorers.
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Parabéns! A alternativa D está correta.
The model of colonization carried out by King James I focused on the authorization of private
companies to explore the new lands of America. Those companies, like the Virginia Company, could
thus profit from the land in exchange of a payment made to the English Crown.
Question 2
Captain John Smith played a central role in Jamestown. What’s more, his works helped shape the
American culture. One of the main goals of John Smith’s A Description of New England is:
Parabéns! A alternativa A está correta.
A Description of New England was written as an attempt to urge future settlers to go to the New World.
That is why Smith describes the opportunities to be found there, as well as the personal traits those
individuals need to have.
A to attract potential colonists to settle in America.
B to describe the peaceful relation with the natives.
C to criticize the hard work involved in colonization.
D to teach agricultural skills for English settlers.
E to spread the Puritan faith.
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2 - The Puritans - social and literary
perspectives: William Bradford, Anne
Bradstreet, Michael Wigglesworth
By the end of this section, you will be able to relate America’s �rst literary
expressions with Puritan beliefs.
The Promised Land
The Pilgrim Fathers
The reasons for the English to undertake the perilous journey over the Atlantic to reach America were varied.
One of them was religious persecution. Since 1534, during the reign of King Henry VIII, England had
Anglicanism as its official religion. The creation of the Anglican Church ignited a conflicted relationship
between different religious groups - especially the Puritans - and the English Crown. In the early 17th century,
exercising a type of faith that did not conform to Anglicanism resulted in oppression from the State, being
punishable even with death. A group of Puritans, then, went in search of a territory where religious freedom
was upheld. After a failed attempt of settlement in the Dutch Republic, they chose to sail for the New World.
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The Mayflower - the ship carrying the first group of Protestant colonists to America - reached the port of
Plymouth, in Massachusetts, in 1620. These people have become known historically as ‘Pilgrims’, or even
Pilgrim Fathers.
Since a pilgrim is a person who makes a journey for religious reasons, it is fitting that those men and women
are called that way, as they headed for America in search of religious freedom. Moreover, these pilgrims
were determined to make America the Promised Land - a new beginning for their history and their religion.
They were the ministers, teachers, and entrepreneurs who were going to build the foundation of the United
States. The Pilgrim Fathers had a rough start. They arrived in America in the middle of a harsh winter. With
the frozen ground and a biting cold, it was hard to plant and build houses. The consequence was that almost
half of the initial hundred settlers perished. The remaining colonists, however, persisted and were able to
start a small community. A central episode of the period took place the following year, in 1621, right before
the winter.
Interestingly enough
The pilgrims decided to organize a “Thanksgiving” celebration, to mark their first crop of maize. Friendly
indigenous people took part in the event, bringing a native bird: the turkey. Since then, Thanksgiving has
become an importantAmerican holiday, immersed in folklore and the myth of the brotherhood between
Pilgrims and Native Americans.
In the following decades, more people arrived in America. The largest group was known as “Puritans” and
was also escaping the escalating religious persecution in England. Along with the Puritans, other people
belonging to various faiths settled in the territory, such as Quakers and Catholics. As the years went by,
divergences in manners of the political organization led several people to found new colonies in the
American territory. Ultimately, this gave birth to the original 13 colonies, which represented the beginning of
the United States we know today. Those first colonies - Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and
others - would, in the future, become states.
Religious Beliefs
Puritanism
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Puritanism was one of the many religions that sprung from the Protestant Reformation inaugurated by
Martin Luther in the 16th century.
Puritans followed Luther’s doctrine that Christianity should be based on faith and
scripture alone, without the imposition of laws by religious figures such as the Pope
or bishops.
They believed in a more simple and “pure” form of religion, rejecting several practices and symbols of
Catholicism (such as confession, indulgences, and saints). Nowhere was this purity clearer than in the
Puritan religious service: it took place in a simple building, with no images and ornaments, and focusing
mainly on the minister and his readings of the Bible.
Most Puritans that went to North America were Calvinist Protestants, i.e., they followed the ideas of the
French theologian John Calvin. One of the fundamental notions of Calvinism was that the original sin (when
Adam and Eve were expelled from the Garden of Eden) tainted all human existence, and because of that
humankind was naturally evil and subject to corruption. The Puritans also believed that the sacrifice made by
Jesus on the cross guaranteed God’s forgiveness, but such absolution is not extended to everyone - just
some “elected” people would receive it. Moreover, Puritans believed that God has chosen, since the
beginning of time, those who are going to be saved and those who are going to be damned eternally.
Detail of a propaganda leaflet against Calvinism during the Thirty Years’ War—Calvinists and the devil try to tear down a Catholic and Orthodox
castle; woodcut, circa 1625.
Puritanism differs from Catholicism in emphasizing earthly evidence of God’s blessings through work and
prosperity, instead of focusing on the afterlife.
Catholicism
It tends to see work as punishment for leaving the Garden of Eden (“By the sweat of your brow you shall
eat bread”) and views wealth negatively.

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Puritanism
It believes that good Christians live well with the fruits of their labor and are able to establish means of
comfort and subsistence through their efforts and merits.
These Calvinist beliefs were present in the initial stages of American colonization. The Puritans built their
communities convinced that they were, through their labor, fulfilling God’s wish of creating a new paradise,
where people would be able to live according to Christian precepts. Therefore, the government itself had the
duty of making settlers obey the divine imperative. There were laws, for example, which forced people to go
to church, or punished adulterers.
This coupling of Church and State, especially relevant in the colony of Massachusetts, would be an
important reason for dissenters to found other colonies.
The central figure in this 1876 illustration of the courtroom is usually identified as Mary Walcott.
This close connection between religion and government was one of the things which enabled, for example,
one of the most tragic and shameful episodes in the history of the United States: the Salem witch trials.
In the town of Salem, Massachusetts, a series of trials took place after several colonists were accused of
witchcraft. Many were considered guilty and nineteen were executed by hanging. Apart from becoming
known as one of the most notorious cases of mass hysteria, the Salem witch trials also evinced the terrible
consequences of the unrestricted presence of Puritan faith in the administration of the colonies.
Writing the new world
Puritan writing
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It is mainly through various forms of writing that the Puritan newcomers would define their version of
America. The colonies became the place where not only the Puritan faith was tested, but also new narratives
and even the English language itself. With their texts, these first American writers attempted to understand
and discover the purposes of the world being presented to them.
The Puritan imagination was essential to shape an essential notion that serves to define the United States:
the “American dream”
In general terms, the American dream represents the idea that everyone, no matter
their background or social condition, can become successful.
This notion would go through changes in later periods of American history, but it is the Puritans - with their
sense of wonder and an idea of promise in the new land - that bring it to existence in the American
conscience.
In terms of written production, the Puritans produced a variety of texts which conveyed their faith,
experiences, and points of view: journals, histories, sermons, poems, among others. From these, the most
significant and ever-present was the sermon. Even though today we tend to read sermons and study them in
terms of literary quality, in Puritan times they were basically a type of oral expression with fundamental
religious intent. Moreover, the sermon composed a central event of the religious service, uniting the
congregation at a moment in which communication with God was being enabled.
Attention!
A central feature not only of the sermons but of Puritan writing as a whole became known as “the plain
style”. In summary, it means that Puritan texts were written in a direct, almost unshaped style, with no
“decorative” or exaggerated language. The writing is supposed to be austere instead of ceremonial, and that
way it would reveal the ways of the Lord. Thus, the style of the text, as well as its message, could portray the
simple truth of the Puritan faith.
Another essential literary genre associated with Puritan America is the journal. Through the recording of their
individual lives, Puritans believed they could associate their faith in predestination with events that had to be
dealt with on a regular basis. In this sense, “for each pious settler, personal life was a theater for an inner
drama comparable to the history of the community as a whole” (RULAND & BRADBURY, 1991, p. 17).
A recurrent theme of the journals is the search for divine signs in everyday events. Even the most trivial
episode could be seen as evidence of God’s will, indicating a person’s salvation or damnation.
With their strong faith in being predestined to build, in the words of the famous minister John Winthrop, “a
city upon a hill”, an ideal place that would serve as a model for other nations to copy (a notion that remains
strong in the United States until today), the Puritans were able to successfully settle in America and create
prosperous communities.
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This experience is best portrayed in the works of three writers that perfectly capture the spirit of the Puritan
colonies: William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, and Michael Wigglesworth.
Jeremiads
William Bradford (1590-1657)
William Bradfordwas one of the defining figures in the settlement of the “Pilgrims” - a name he arguably
coined - in America. While in England, Bradford was part of a group of Puritans known as “Separatists” since
they did not believe in reforming the Church of England and favored the need for Calvinist Protestants to
exercise their faith freely.
Statue of William Bradford at the Pilgrim Hall Museum, MA.
Bradford was aboard the Mayflower when it reached Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1620, and he was
instrumental in the formulation of one of the defining documents of the period: the Mayflower Compact.
Learn more
The Mayflower Compact consisted of an agreement, a covenant, that decreed, in general terms, the colonial
government and the laws that were to be followed on the arrival in America.
Bradford’s most important writings were his journals and histories. He would keep diaries that mingled
deeply personal perspectives with the everyday challenges the colonists had to face in establishing their
community, such as the difficult relationship with the indigenous populations and agricultural problems.
Some authors claim that his writings can be seen as a “jeremiad” - a typical kind of text associated with
Calvinist Protestantism in which the author focuses on the troubles and failures of a person or group by
narrating their hardships while wishing to restore an ideal sense of past purity. The best example of this type
of writing is Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation.
Of Plymouth Plantation
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Bradford started writing Of Plymouth Plantation in 1630, ten years after the arrival of the Mayflower and while
he was the governor of the Plymouth colony. This work can be seen as a journal, or a history, in which
Bradford narrates the story of the Pilgrims from the initial attempt to stay in the Dutch Republic, through the
journey to America in 1620, until the year 1647.
Of Plymouth Plantation clearly adopts the “plain style” of Puritan writing, aiming at portraying the simple truth
and the purity of all things. In writing about the struggles that the Pilgrims had to face in the New World, the
text showcases the affection the early settlers had for one another, as well as their sense of duty and
courage. On the other hand, Bradford also depicts the growing greed and weaknesses that, according to him,
would eventually take over the community.
A good example of Bradford’s disillusionment in the late colonization process due to excessive materialism
is the passage below:
Corn and cattle rose to a great price, by which many were much enriched and commodities grew
plentiful. And yet in other regards this benefit turned to their hurt, and this accesion of strength to
their weakness. For now as their stocks increased and the increase vendible, there was no longer
any holding them together, but now they must of necessity go to their great lots. They could not
otherwise keep their cattle, and having oxen grown they must have land for ploughing and tillage.
And no man now thought he could live except he had cattle and a great deal of ground to keep
them, all striving to increase their stocks.
(BRADFORD qtd. in RULAND & BRADBURY, 1991, p.12)
In this excerpt, Of Plymouth Plantation illustrates how the growing riches of colonists - through harvests,
cattle, and use of land - serve to weaken the bonds of the community. According to Bradford, the increasing
focus on material success move the Puritans away from God and significantly impairs the dream of building
a religious paradise in America.
Puritan poetry
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Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672)
Considered by many the first major woman poet in the English language, Anne Bradstreet is a rare example
of female literary expression among Puritans. She went to America as a young woman on the Arbella, as part
of the group led by minister John Winthrop in 1630, along with her father and husband. Bradstreet had fragile
health and the initial hardships of colonial life made her see America unfavorably.
Anne Bradstreet, 1642.
However, her religious zeal and sense of duty to marriage and community made the poet become a central
literary figure in early American literature.
In her writings, Bradstreet was inspired by England Renaissance poetry such as the works of Philip Sidney
and Edmund Spenser, but it did not take long for her to build a poetic voice of her own.
Attention!
Like other Puritan writers, she explores events of daily life in search of signs of God’s existence. It is of
particular importance her use of natural symbols, which serve as expressions of God’s glory and salvation.
Bradstreet’s poems showcase not only a submission to the Puritan doctrine but also domestic life. After all,
she was a wife with eight children and whose husband was often away on office duties.
In general, Bradstreet’s works can be divided into two categories.
The first one is more metaphysical, with scholarly references and cosmic themes. These poems tend to have
a kind of monumental quality, making references to the Bible or natural features. A good example is the long
poem Contemplations, in which the lyrical voice questions the role of mankind in the majestic nature created
by God. The 20th stanza, for example, directly addresses this point:
Shall I then praise the heavens, the trees, the earth because their
beauty and their strength last longer? Shall I wish there, or never to
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had birth, Because they’re bigger, and their bodies stronger? Nay,
they shall darken, perish, fade, and die, and when unmade, so ever
shall they lie, but man was made for endless immortality.
(BRADSTREET, 2008, p. 103)
This excerpt questions whether natural symbols have a higher intrinsic value than humankind since they are
grand and beautiful. The answer, however, is negative, since those elements of nature eventually expire, while
man is considered immortal.
The other category of Bradstreet’s poems falls under a more domestic style, narrating family life and
portraying her personal feelings towards the Puritan community. These are works written with great
sensibility, sometimes with intense intimacy, sometimes with wit and irony. These poems have an almost
secular quality, with sparse references to religion, which perhaps justifies the higher popularity of these
poems when compared to the first category. The best example of the domestic and personal tone of these
works is the poem To My Dear and Loving Husband:
If ever two were one, then surely we.
if ever man were loved by wife, then thee;
if ever wife was happy in a man,
compare with me ye women if you can.
I prize thy love more than whole mines of gold,
or all the riches that the east doth hold.
my love is such that rivers cannot quench,
nor ought but love from thee give recompense.
thy love is such I can no way repay;
the heavens reward thee manifold, I pray.
then while we live, in love let's so persevere,
that when we live no more we may live ever.
(BRADSTREET, 2008, p.108)
In this poem, the feminine lyrical voice expresses her love to her husband in terms of earthly symbols (“love
more than whole mines of gold”) while praising the metaphysical dimension of that same love (“when we live
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no more we may live ever”). Thus, Bradstreet poetically joins the intimate facet of love in married life with a
monumental type of love - one that makes eternal life possible.
Michael Wigglesworth (1631-1705)
Like many early Puritan settlers, Michael Wigglesworth was born in England and went to America as a child,
in 1638.As an adult, he became an influential minister in Massachusetts, even serving as an advisor during
the Salem witch trials. However, it is his writings that have served to put his name among the greatest
figures of Puritanism in America.
Michael Wigglesworth.
The most recognized works of Wigglesworth are his journals, presenting deeply
personal viewpoints along with details of Puritan life, and his poems, which are
some of the most impactful literary representations of Calvinist Protestantism.
Despite being married three times, his journal entries are filled with passages describing the struggles he
had with his sexuality, especially regarding the attraction he felt towards male students during the time he
worked as a tutor.
However, it is as a poet that Wigglesworth’s literary prominence is more valued. His poetic works tend to
emphasize ideas of sin, predestination, damnation, and salvation that were a constant part of Puritan life.
Moreover, his poems also had an instructional quality, reminding Puritans of the dogmas they had to accept
and follow. From all his works, the most important is The Day of Doom (1662).
The Day of Doom (1662)
The most popular poem of the 17th century, The Day of Doom is a religious work in verse which, as a whole,
describes the biblical Judgement Day, when God sentences people either to heaven or to hell. Even though
the poem can be read just as mere Puritan doctrine, the dramatic intensity employed creates an impactful
effect of terror and astonishment.
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One of the central points of The Day of Doom is to remind Puritans of the strict adherence to Calvinist
Protestant precepts if they wished to avoid damnation on Judgement Day. Therefore, to break away from
God’s rules is the main reason to be precluded from salvation. The following stanza exemplifies that:
Christ readily makes this reply;
“I damn you not because
you are rejected or not elected,
but you have broke my laws:
it is but vain your wits to strain
the end and means to sever:
men fondly seek to part or break
what god hath link’d together.
(WIGGLESWORTH, 1662)
This passage clearly states Puritan dogma:
The rejection of divine laws inexorably leads to damnation.
This is the type of understanding that incited fear in the minds of Puritans, but also served to remind them of
the original intents of the Pilgrim Fathers when they reached the New World: to form a community that would
abide by God’s authority.
Puritan Writing
What are the main features of Puritan writing? What about the main authors? Stay tuned to learn more about
the Puritan period!

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You are very close to reaching your goals.
Let’s practice!
Question 1
The motivation for the English to embark on a journey to America, despite its evident dangers, was quite
diverse. One of the reasons that made Puritans go to America was:
Parabéns! A alternativa A está correta.
The main reason that led early Pilgrims and Puritans go to America was the religious persecution they
were facing in England because their Protestant faith was not accepted by the Church of England, which
is Anglican.
A The search for the free exercise of their faith.
B The need to write their own literature.
C The lack of labor opportunities in England.
D The abundance of natural resources in the New World.
E The lack of hardships.
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Question 2
Some writers such as William Bradford, Anne Bradstreet, Michael Wigglesworth wrote pieces - journals
and poetry - that were greatly influenced by Puritanism. Not only did their content adhere to the Puritan
faith, but also their form abided by the religious beliefs of the time. The “plain style” in Puritan writings
can be characterized by:
Parabéns! A alternativa A está correta.
The “plain style” refers to a feature of Puritan writing which aims at depicting the world through
simplicity, with a type of language without flourishes, trying to achieve the Lord’s truth.
A The depiction of a pure and simple truth.
B The description of everyday events.
C The need to avoid eternal damnation.
D The emphasis on religious metaphors.
E The description of domestic life.
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3 - Enlightenment In�uences: Jonathan
Edwards, Thomas Paine, and Benjamin
Franklin
By the end of this section, you will be able to locate the philosophical
foundations of the American culture.
A time of incredible transformation
Colonial life in the 18th century
The 18th century was a time of incredible transformation in the original 13 colonies. The number of English
colonists, comprised of roughly 2,000 people in 1625, reached 250,000 by 1700, doubling every twenty-five
years along the century. Families grew large since children would also help work the land. Even though
religion remained significant in community life, other values contributed to the social, political, and literary
advancement of this phase of the United States.
The colonies were inhabited not only by the Puritans, but also by other religious groups who were escaping
religious persecution in Europe and searching for a better life in the New World, such as the Quakers (who
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lived in Pennsylvania) and Catholics (who mostly peopled Maryland). As a whole, the colonies could be
divided into three groups:
The New England group
The ones in the far north centered on Massachusetts, composed of small farmers and craftsmen.
The Middle Colonies
The colonies south of New England, such as New York and Pennsylvania, formed not only by English
immigrants but also German and Dutch.
The Southern Colonies
Virginia, the Carolinas, and Georgia, where landowners farmed large plantations with slave labor.
The first enslaved people arrived from Africa in 1619 to work in Jamestown. As agriculture became
established on the American continent, especially through tobacco plantation in the Southern colonies, more
Africans were enslaved and sent to the New World. By the mid-18th century, it is believed that more than 20%
of people in the United States were African American. They were forced into a life of bondage, hard labor,
and were treated as property. Despite some organized rebellions, more than 400,000 people were captured
in Africa and sent to the British colonies to work as slaves.
The reality of slave labor of the South contrasted with the social perspectives
idealized in the Northern colonies. For the Puritans in New England, education was
a central issue for the development of society.
Considering that Lutheran and Calvinist dogmas originated in personal interpretations of the Bible, reading
through formal schooling (especially religious texts) became a key skill for those growing communities. In
1647, for example, a law in Massachusetts decreed that each village with more than fifty families should
have a teacher. Some of the most prestigious American universities were founded in the colonial period,
such as Harvard in 1636 and Yale in 1701. Until 1764, there were already seven universities in the 13
colonies.
The Age of Reason
The Enlightenment
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In the 18th century, those growing American universities were largely influenced by the most important
intellectual and philosophical movement of the period: the Enlightenment. Considered a pivotal moment in
Western thought, the Enlightenment, in general terms,asserts that all human experience can be explained
through reason.
This was a time when great thinkers started questioning religious dogma and traditional forms of
government to try to interpret the world in a scientific way.
The mysteries and miracles of the Church were replaced by the rational
explanations of Newton and Descartes; the long-established social and political
organizations gave place to new government structures, whose basic principles
were freedom and individual liberties.
The world was seen, therefore, as ruled by “natural laws”, as the passage below makes clear:
By analogy from Newton’s view of the world as a machine one could reason
that natural laws governed all things - the orbits of the planets and also the
orbits of human relations: politics, economics, and society. Reason could make
people aware, for instance, that the natural law of supply and demand governed
economics or that natural rights to life, liberty, and property determined the
limits and functions of government.
(TINDALL & SHI, 1989, p.63)
Also known as The Age of Reason, the Enlightenment is characterized by the search for order and stability
through empiricism - the idea that knowledge arises from experience.Thus, what was previously seen as
unexplainable, obscure, starts being investigated, since it is believed that the world can be interpreted via
evidence, experimentation, observation, and the scientific method.
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One of the most influential philosophers of the Enlightenment was John Locke. His important theories
regarding forms of government, society, and the notion of private property had a profound impact on future
American revolutionaries that would lead the country to its independence. A fundamental concept idealized
by Locke, and also by other Enlightenment thinkers, is that of the social contract. According to this principle,
there is an implicit agreement between the government and the people to keep social order and guarantee
the stability of a nation. Thus, the population is expected to follow a series of laws and give up some
liberties, whereas the State is expected to use the governmental structure without abusing its power. It is
possible to say, therefore, that the authority of the State depends upon the consent of those who are
governed.
This is one of the reasons future revolutionaries would give to declare the independence of the United States
from England.
When the social contract is respected, people can enjoy their natural rights, such as liberty and happiness. In
this case, there is a clear distinction in relation to the Calvinist thought of the Puritans:
If according to Calvinist Protestants man is born evil due to the original sin,
according to Locke’s Enlightened viewpoint, man is born as a tabula rasa (a white
sheet of paper). Therefore, it is one’s life experience that defines whether one is to
become good or evil.
Despite the contrasting perspectives between Puritanism and the Enlightenment, it is exactly an extremely
clever and well-educated Puritan minister who was able to build a bridge between these two philosophical
worldviews in the first decades of the 18th century: Jonathan Edwards.
A bridge between Protestantism and the
Enlightenment
Jonathan Edwards and the Great Awakening
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With the populational and economic growth of the colonies, the 18th century in America saw a decreasing
significance of Puritan practices in daily life. As new generations of Americans were born and people from
other regions of Europe arrived on the continent, the Protestant belief of seeing God’s signs in everyday
events was replaced with a more practical approach to community life. Moreover, the spread of the
Enlightenment ideas, prioritizing secular experience, helped diminish the influence of Puritan thought.
Noticing this shift in the reality of the colonies, Puritan ministers attempted to regain the original sense of
faith and predestination that they felt was being lost. This resulted in the Great Awakening, an evangelical
revival that took place in the 1730s aimed at renewing religious devotion among Americans. The most
important figure associated with the Great Awakening was minister Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758).
Apart from being a pious man, Edwards was also a theologian and a scholar. He studied and later became a
rector at Yale, but his most significant works were written during his tenure as a minister in Northampton,
Massachusetts. Edwards was a reader of John Locke and, even though there seems to be little in common
between Puritanism and the Enlightenment, he was able to brilliantly associate some aspects from both
lines of thought to revive a sense of godliness in the colonies. After all, “much of the enlightened thought
could be reconciled with established beliefs - the idea of natural law existed in Christian theology, and
religious people could reason that the world view of Copernicus and Newton simply showed forth the glory
of God” (TINDALL & SHI, 1989, p. 63).
The religious fervor idealized by the Great Awakening - involving not just Edwards, but several preachers in
different parishes - was successful at least until the 1750s, when some excesses in their indoctrination led
some ministers to be dismissed from their churches, including Edwards. Still, some of his texts became
powerful symbols of the potency of Puritan beliefs. A great example is one of the best-known sermons of his
age: “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”.
Sinners in the hands of an angry God (1741)
The sermon was always at the center of the Puritans’ religious service, and especially during the period of
the Great Awakening, it was very common the use of “imprecatory sermons”, i.e., types of religious texts that
emphasize hellfire and damnation. Also known as “fire and brimstone” sermons, they awakened the deepest
fears in the congregation, making worshippers question their faith.
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Jonathan Edwards’ Sinners in the hands of angry God is perhaps the most famous imprecatory sermon in
English. The text, strongly adherent to the Old Testament, sees God as an omnipotent judge who is regularly
furious with mankind’s faults and sins. According to Edwards, human efforts to achieve salvation are futile,
and God is constantly watching over, able to sentence anyone, at any time, to the eternal fires of hell.
Sinners in the hands of angry God follows the traditional structure of the Puritan sermon.
Edwards’ sermon begins with the biblical quotation “Their foot shall slide in due time”, which the author uses
to highlight the point that men might fall at any moment in the pits of hell.
A striking excerpt of the sermon is when Edwards presents very vivid images to illustrate the contrast
between the evil of mankind and God’s purity:
The God that holds you over the pit of hell, much as one holds a spider, or some loathsome insect
over the fire, abhors you, and is dreadfully provoked: his wrath towards you burns like fire; he looks
upon you as worthy of nothing else, but to be cast into the fire; he is of purer eyes than to bear to
have you in his sight; you are ten thousand times more abominable in his eyes, than the most
hateful venomous serpent is in ours. (…) And there is no other reason to be given, why you have not
dropped into hell since you arose in the morning, but that God’s hand has held you up. There is no
other reason to be given why you have not gone to hell, since you have sat here in the house of God,
provoking his pure eyes by your sinful wicked manner of attending his solemn worship. Yea, there is
nothing else that is to be given as a reason why you do not this verymoment drop down into hell.
(EDWARDS, 1989, pp. 318-319)
Text
A biblical passage that
summarizes the topic of the
sermon.
Doctrine
A lesson to be learned from
that passage.
Reasons
A discussion about the proofs
of the truth of the lesson.
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This passage showcases one of the central aspects of Puritanism: the power of God is in eternal opposition
with human depravity. This tension occurs as a result of the original sin and is the greatest cause of the guilt
that torments Puritans. On the other hand, it is this same guilt - along with the fear of damnation - that leads
people to seek redemption through the restoration of the evangelical faith.
Rebellious spirit of the Age
The revolutionary period
By 1760, America was in a very different situation when compared to the period of the arrival of the Pilgrim
Fathers in 1620. More than one and a half million people lived in the 13 colonies, and big cities, such as New
York and Philadelphia, were a reality. The colonies were also organized under a fairly autonomous form of
government, establishing a self-ruling political structure. In terms of the economy, they had a strong internal
market (with manufactures and workshops), while also exporting products like fur and tobacco.
This situation started to change after the end of the Seven Years’ War between England and France. After the
victory of England, a large part of North American territory that used to belong to France fell into English
hands. Most colonists expressed the desire to explore those new regions which extended until the
Mississippi River but were forbidden by the English, who wanted to guarantee the administrative control of
those unknown lands. Moreover, several British troops remained in the colonies after the war was over, which
served to intimidate the colonists.
The battle at Quiberon Bay, 1759. In the fourth year of the Seven Years’ War, established Britain as the world’s dominant naval power and
changed the course of North American history.
The large debts after the end of the conflict, along with the rapid industrial expansion of England, led the
British Crown to increase taxes in the 13 colonies, increasing the exploratory nature of the American
colonization.
Attention!
A pivotal moment in the rising tensions between England and America was the creation of the Stamp Act, in
1765, which declared that colonists had to pay for special stamps to be attached to newspapers and legal
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documents. After that, the colonies started organizing themselves against what they viewed as England’s
abuses of power, promoting protests, and boycotting English products.
Tensions reached a climax after the Boston Tea Party, when a group of men threw hundreds of cases of tea
into the sea, in response to the increasing rise of the product. As a response, the British Crown passed a
series of laws that restricted the autonomy of the colonies, known as the “Intolerable Acts”. Among these
acts, there was the closing of Boston harbor, the prohibition of general assemblies, and the considerable
expansion in the number of British troops.
After a series of meetings and the resistance of some sectors of American society,
the 13 colonies declared war against Britain and, on July 4, 1776, issued the
Declaration of Independence, a text heavily influenced by Enlightened ideals, such
as the social contract.
The battles with the English troops intensified, but the United States had its own army, under the leadership
of George Washington, who would later become the first president of the new nation. However, one of the
central weapons of the American army was a text which served to unite civil society against the British rule.
That text was called “Common Sense” and its author, ironically enough, was an Englishman called Thomas
Paine.
Thomas Paine and Common Sense
Despite being born in England, Thomas Paine was one of the main supporters of the American cause for
independence. He arrived in America in 1774, at a time when the Revolutionary Period was beginning, with
the British Crown toughening its political and economic control over the colonies.
Overtaken by the rebellious spirit of the age, Paine published, in January 1776, a 50-page pamphlet titled
Common Sense. Released while the colonists still discussed ways to respond to England’s authoritarian
laws, Common Sense openly proposed a political separation between the 13 colonies and England. The title
refers to Paine’s central idea:
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If one used common sense, it became clear that the union between America and
Britain only brought disadvantages to the former.
Paine articulates in Common Sense several reasons why the relationship with England, instead of providing
peace and protection, was extremely harmful to America. One of the most important aspects considered by
the author is that even God wishes that the connection between the colonies and England gets broken:
The blood of the slain, the weeping voice of nature cries, ‘tis time to part. Even the distance at which
the Almighty hath placed England and America, is a strong and natural proof, that the authority of
the one, over the other, was never the design of Heaven. The time likewise at which the continent
was discovered, adds weight to the argument, and the manner in which it was peopled increases
the force of it. The reformation was preceded by the discovery of America, as if the Almighty
graciously meant to open a sanctuary to the persecuted in future years, when home should afford
neither friendship nor safety.
(PAINE, 1776)
Thus, Paine associates to divine signs the fact that England and America are geographically separated by an
ocean and the advent of the Protest Reformation before the discovery of the New World. Those aspects
should, therefore, be read as indications that America was not meant to remain a colony any longer. Written
with simple language and a direct style, Common Sense was an extremely popular text during the
Revolutionary Period. It is known that parts of it were read to American troops before going to battle so
powerful was its message. In a way, Paine’s text translated the American ideal for freedom into a real fight
for independence.
The Founding Fathers
Benjamin Franklin and the Founding Fathers
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The revolutionary period of the United States, which guaranteed the independence of the country, served to
solidify a common bond among all the 13 colonies, which became states. Those territories now were part of
a single nation, formed on shared ideals such as liberty and equal rights. However, it was important to create
an identity that was able to unite all those people under the same American nationality. A group of important
historical figures, essential for the consolidation of American independence, served to achieve this purpose:
the Founding Fathers.
The Founding Fathers were a group of men who acted as revolutionary leaders against England, signed the
Declaration of Independence in 1776, or were responsible for the writing of the Constitution in 1787. They
were military men, landowners, scientists - all aiming to lay the foundations of a country based on
Republican ideals.
Some notable Founding Fathers - who, not coincidentally, ended up becoming presidents of the United States
- are George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams. One of the most significant figures of that
group, nonetheless, was a man with remarkable intelligence who contributed greatly to this moment of
American history and literature:Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790).
The Committee of Five (John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, and Robert Livingston) presenting their draft to the
Second Continental Congress on June 28, 1776.
Journalist, philosopher, merchant, inventor, diplomat, politician - Benjamin Franklin was the epitome of
remarkable versatility. Born in a poor Boston family in 1706, he started working as an essayist and gradually
became the most successful American editor of the 18th century. Franklin also played a significant role in the
revolutionary process, representing the interests of the colonies in England, and later France (where he got
political support for independence). Moreover, he was recognized as a prolific scientist and inventor, being
responsible for the creation of lightning rods, bifocal lenses, apart from founding the first public library and
the first Fire Department in the state of Pennsylvania.
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Franklin also had a vast literary career. Especially after buying and revitalizing the newspaper Pennsylvania
Gazette, he started writing a series of extremely popular texts under pen names. Associating practical
concerns of the American public with a satiric and critical verve, these works consolidated Franklin as a sage
of his time, an individual with wisdom but who was also aware of the troubles of the common man. From
these works, perhaps the most well-known is Poor Richard’s Almanac.
Poor Richard’s Almanac (1732)
The almanac was one of the most popular types of publications in America in the 18th century. Franklin
decided to create his own, called Poor Richard’s Almanac, in 1732, and it immediately became the best-
selling almanac in the colonies. In general, an almanac is an annual compendium that includes several types
of information, such as weather predictions, recipes, and moral anecdotes. Franklin, writing under the name
Richard Saunders, used the almanac to express his great wit and insightful lessons. One of the central
features of Poor Richard’s Almanac is the presence of amusing proverbs, which entered the tradition of
American thought.
Interestingly enough
Famous maxims like “time is money” and “have you somewhat to do tomorrow, do it today” became classics,
and symbolize Franklin’s worldview: success is strictly linked to material gain generated through hard work.
This perspective would prove essential to the new nation.
In 1758, the last year of publication of Poor Richard’s Almanac, Franklin wrote a preface for that special
edition, in which he collected most of the maxims that he included within the previous twenty-five almanacs.
That preface received the title “The Way to Wealth”, and in it the author presents the key to a successful life:
Industry
The necessity to work hard.
Prudence
The need to save money.
Frugality
The necessity to be thrifty and spend little.
In a central passage of “The Way to Wealth”, the author states:
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Then since, as he says, the borrower is a slave to the lender, and the debtor to
the creditor, disdain the chain, preserve your freedom; and maintain your
independency: be industrious and free; be frugal and free.
(FRANKLIN, 1989, p. 34)
Therefore, by working hard and not wasting money or time, Americans will be able to attain the ultimate goal
behind the creation of the Republic: freedom.
The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (1791)
Benjamin Franklin’s own life served as material for one of the first great books of American literature: The
Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. In this work, the author does more than just tell the story of his life: he
uses his personal narrative to personify the ideas that would form the good American citizen.
Attention!
A central concept to understand the autobiography is that of the “self-made man”, i.e., the man who triumphs
due to his own will and effort. In Franklin’s book, this notion is more than a theme - it is also a contribution of
the American spirit to the Western world, turning the tale of the poor boy who became rich and successful
into a world myth. Therefore, it is possible to read Franklin’s life as a kind of allegory of the whole American
culture.
The autobiography also remains one of the first examples of autobiographic text in all literature in English.
Until today, it is regarded as a narrative template for all other autobiographies - highlighting the most
interesting moments and omitting aspects that the author considers irrelevant (or even contradictory).
Besides, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin can also be read as a historical document, not only because
it was written by one of the foremost thinkers of the United States, but also because it precisely depicts the
habits, worldviews, and lifestyle of the 18th century in the country.
Jonathan Edwards, Thomas Paine, and
Benjamin Franklin

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Do you know why the expression “time is money” is associated with the USA? In this video, Professor
Anderson Gomes will discuss the ideas of three thinkers that helped shape American culture. Enjoy!
You are very close to reaching your goals.
Let’s practice!
Question 1
An evangelical revival, known as the Great Awakening, took place in the 1730s. One of its main goals
was:
Parabéns! A alternativa A está correta.
The goal of the Great Awakening was to revive the religious fervor of Puritan beliefs that many ministers
believed was being diminished in the 18th century.
A the restoration of Puritan values.
B the endorsement of Enlightenment ideals.
C the search for religious independence.
D the denial of a belief in the afterlife.
E the elimination of the original sin.
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Final issues
We have studied the most important literary works in the United States, from the early colonial period until
the independence of the country in the late 18th century. We have seen how those works and the authors
behind them reflect the historical changes the country was going through in its initial phase. By
Question 2
Benjamin Franklin, alongside George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and John Adams, was part of a
group of men known as The Founding Fathers. Benjamin Franklin’s ideas were fundamental for the
shaping of America. According to him, these two qualities are essential in order to be successful:
Parabéns! A alternativa A está correta.
According to Benjamin Franklin in “The Way to Wealth”, it is through industry (hard work) and frugality
(little spending) - along with prudence - that someone can reach material success and prosperity.
A industry and frugality.
B courage and bravery.
C intelligence and wit.
D determination and devotion.
E frugality and intelligence.
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understanding the complex network of religious, philosophical, and political concepts in the formation of
America, we have aimed at showing how that nation was formed under varied interests, but ultimately
achieved a sense of Republican unity.
Moreover, we also learned how literary genres as diverse as the travel narrative, the sermon, the journal, the
poem, and the essay illustrate the multiple perspectives of narrating the American experience. While
presenting a common interest in the formation of a country founded on freedom and prosperity, these texts
also portray very personal readings of the development of the United States.
Podcast
Do you need to revise the main topics of the Unit? Don't worry! In this podcast, Professor AndersonGomes
will address the most important aspects of the colonial experience.

References
BAYM, Nina (ed.) The Norton Anthology of American Literature. W. W. Norton & Company, 2008.
GOMES, Anderson Soares. Literatura Norte-americana. IESDE Brasil, 2009.
KARNAL, Leandro et al. História dos Estados Unidos. Contexto, 2008.
LEMAY, J.A. Leo (ed.) An Early American Reader. United States Information Agency, 1989.
McQUADE, Donald (ed.) The Harper American Literature. Harper & Row Publishers, 1987.
PAINE, Thomas. Common Sense. Philadelphia: W. & T. Bradford, 1776.
RULAND, Richard & BRADBURY, Malcolm. From Puritanism to Postmodernism. Viking Penguin, 1991.
TINDALL George B & SHI David E America: a narrative history W W Norton & Company 1989
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TINDALL, George B. & SHI, David E. America: a narrative history. W. W. Norton & Company, 1989.
WIGGLESWORTH, Michael. The Day of Doom. 1662. In: KETTEL, Samuel. Specimens of American Poetry.
1829. Bartleby.com. Accessed 21 Feb. 2022.
Go Further
For a poetic interpretation of the early colonization process, especially focusing on the mythical dimensions
of the relationship between Captain John Smith and Pocahontas, check the film The New World (2005),
directed by Terence Malick.
For a portrayal of the religious and political implications of the Salem witch trials, check the film The
Crucible (1996), directed by Nicholas Hytner.
To understand the philosophical and political reasoning behind the American Revolution, read the
Declaration of Independence, one of the fundamental documents in the history of the United States, available
in the American government archives.