Revolutionary Literature

A Nation is Born•1750-1800

•Most writing fuels by politics•13 original colonies

–Content to be English subjects until 1760-1770 attitudes began to change

•18th C. (1700’s) – Age of Reason–Galileo, Sir Isaac Newton–People began to look to science & logic as opposed to just their faith–Believed that people are good natured, not destined to be evil

The French and Indian War

• 1754-1763• The last of four battles between France,

England, and their Native American allies.• Fought for control of North America• Most Native Americans fought with the

French with the exception of the Iroquois Confederation who sided with the British and Americans

• George Washington was 21 yrs old and a major – this was his first major conflict

• England won the battle here, but the war continued back into Europe

• Treaty of Paris signed in 1763 officially ending the war

Taxation of the Colonies• 1765 – England needed to raise

revenue to pay for the French/Indian War and the rising cost of the empire

• Stamp Act– Taxed newspapers, playing cards, legal

documents, licenses, and almanacs – People went NUTS!! – Repealed almost immediately!

• Other acts followed & colonists formed a boycott

Boston Massacre• March 5, 1770• one of the greatest bits of propaganda

in history• British dissolved the Massachusetts

legislature and declared martial law (soldiers are police)– Troops were sent into Boston and they

clashed with Boston civilians in protests– A whopping 5 civilians were slain – three

there and two died later– Acted as spark for the following

rebellions which lead to the American Revolution

Boston Tea Party• December 17, 1773 (3 ½ years after the

Boston Massacre)• Most taxes had been repealed except the Tea

Tax• Colonists dressed as Indians and dumped tea

from docked ships owned by the British East India Tea Company into the Boston Harbor

• Direct action protest and remains an icon of the American Revolution

• John Hancock, Samuel Adams, Joseph Warren, and Benjamin Church (the “Indians”) were charged with high treason

• Brought on the closure of the Boston Harbor and the Coercive or Intolerable Acts

This 1846 lithograph has become a classic image of the Boston Tea Party.

A protest notice.

1st Continental Congresses• The Intolerable Acts sparked the meeting

of the 1st Continental Congress in 1774– Set up boycotts of British goods and a petition

to King George to fix what was wrong– Also set up the meeting for the 2nd Continental

Congress in case things didn’t go well

Revolution Starts - 1775• April – The British replace the Governor

of Massachusetts who sends 700 British troops to destroy Colonial ammunition stocks at Concord

• They met resistance from Minutemen on Lexington Green

• First Shot – “The shot heard round the world” – 8 Americans killed

• British continued their march to Concord– 2 Americans & 3 British killed

Revolution Starts - 1775• British retreat to Boston

– Lost 273 soldiers along the way to American snipers

• May 1775 – 2nd Continental Congress begins meeting to manage Colonial war effort

• June 1775– Battle of Bunker Hill

• 1,000 British soldiers killed

– 2nd Continental Congress appoints George Washington commanding general of the Colonial Army

American Revolution1776-1781

• July 4, 1776 – 2nd Continental Congress adopts the Declaration of Independence– A list of complaints against King George

of England

• 1777 – Sept-Oct - Battle of Saratoga

• Turning point b/c it brought French aid• 9,000 British soldiers were captured

– Nov – Articles of Confederation signed• Just a friendship b/w the states

Congress Voting Independence, a depiction of the Second Continental Congress voting on the United States Declaration of Independence. Oil on canvas.

Congress Voting Independence

American Revolution1781-1809

• 1781– Battle of Yorktown – last major conflict of

American Revolution • Washington vs. Cornwallis• Washington & the French captured 8,000 British

soldiers forcing Cornwallis to surrender

• 1789 – Constitution Ratified– Long fight in congress

• 1789-1797 – George Washington – 1st President

• 1797-1801 – John Adams – 2nd President• 1801-1809 – Thomas Jefferson – 3rd President

Lord Cornwallis surrenders after the Battle of Yorktown.

George Washington, who presided over the convention, is the figure standing on the dais. The central figures of the portrait are Alexander Hamilton, Benjamin Franklin and James Madison. Painting by Howard Chandler Christy (1873-1952).

Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States by Howard Chandler Christy.

George Washington

By: Gilbert Stuart

John Adams

By: Gilbert Stuart Thomas Jefferson

By: Gilbert Stuart

Revolutionary Literature• Driven by politics• Called the “Age of Reason” or the “Age

of Enlightenment”– People did a lot of writing

• Newspapers (50), magazines (40), and almanacs• Expression of ideas and the nature of

govenrment– “Taxation without representation is tyranny.” – James

Otis– “Give me liberty or give me death.” – Patrick Henry

• Constitution– Ben Franklin – “I expect no better”– Alexander Hamilton – “ weak and worthless

fabric”

Revolutionary Literature• In addition to political literature –

verse (poetry) began to appear• Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanac• Theatres and colleges established• American begins to produce its own

painters, sculptors, & musicians

Benjamin Franklin• Business man (printer), scientist, politician, ambassador,

and Postmaster General• Began in Boston as an apprentice printer

– Here is where he composed the Silence Dogood letters

• Moved to Philadelphia and opened his own business– Began the publication of Poor Richard’s Almanac– Retired at age 42 and turned to science

• Scientist– Lightening rod, Franklin Stove, bifocals, earthquake and current

study

• Politician– Helped draft the Declaration of Independence and the

Constitution– Helped bring French aid to the American Revolution

• Ambassador– Worked on relations with England and France

Poor Richard’s Almanac• Composed by Ben Franklin under the

pseudonym of Richard Saunders

• Book of observations, facts, information about weather and the natural world

• Most famous for the aphorisms at the top and bottom of the pages– Aphorism – short, witty saying usually with a

moral

• Most deal with hard work and self-reliance

The Autobiography• Autobiography – self-written account of one’s lifeIncomplete b/c it only takes Franklin’s life through

1759 • Gives a glimpse of his life, his personality, and

his character• The section deals with his commitment to self-

discipline• Seeks to arrive at “moral perfection” through the

achievement of 13 moral virtues• He sought to make the 13 virtues habit rather

than a constant effort• Listed the virtues so that each virtue

complimented the accomplishment of the next one (like a recipe)

The Autobiography• Examines Order in detail

• Frustrated by his own flexibility in schedule necessary for his business

• The fact that he had a really good memory made the idea of everything in order a challenge

• Closes with the benefits those virtues have offered him throughout his life

The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano• Published in 1789 and helped make society face

the ugliness of the slave industry• Born to a high ranking family & trained as a

warrior• He & his sister were kidnapped and forced into

slavery• Trans-Atlantic voyage was horrid!

– 6-10 weeks– Families separated & conditions were packed and

cramped– Buckets in the corners for restrooms (on a rolling

ship) – YUCK!!– Most were shackled– Equiano had more freedom than most b/c of his age– Separated permanently from his sister in Barbados

The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano• Renamed and educated by his master • Equiano was able to amass enough

money to buy his own freedom• Settled in England and became an

abolitionist• Helped establish Freetown, Sierra Leone –

a community for freed slaves• Eqiuano wrote his biography to let people

know how bad things were• He lectured against the treatment of

slaves by the British in Jamaica

The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano• Slave Narrative

– Autobiographical account of the life of a slave– Written in 1st person point of view – from the

perspective of the slave

• Emotional Appeals– The use of words which are chosen

specifically for their emotional response– Groans, shrieks, suffocated etc…

The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano

• Begins the description of the hold of the ship– Close quarters– Sickness & perspiration– Horrid smells & unfit air

• He is allowed on deck not in chains• Conditions are so bad, Equiano begins to wish

for death – envious of the creatures of the sea• Reaffirms his idea of the “cruelty of the whites”• Fish episode demonstrates the unnecessary

cruelty and harsh treatment– Sailors threw the extra fish overboard– Beat the slave who tried to sneak some

The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano• Two of the slaves were chained together & a

third who was very ill jumped overboard– Two died and the third was beaten badly for

“preferring death to slavery”

• Becomes convinced that the world is full of magic– Flying fish & the quadrant

• Landed at Barbados (joyful for whites) – why?– b/c their voyage was at an end and they were about

to make a lot of money

• Examined like they were livestock

The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano

• Equiano and others are convinced these newcomers are going to eat them

• Upset them so much, older slaves came to comfort them

• Sorted into holding areas

• Equiano begins a description of the auction process

Thomas Jefferson• Incredible list of accomplishments (much like

Ben Franklin in their variety)– Wrote Declaration of Independence – 3rd president of the U.S.– Decimal system for American money

• Lawyer & later served his state of Virginia• After Rev War

– American minister to France– Served as 1st Sec of State– 2nd vice-pres– 3rd pres

• Doubled the US’s land mass through the Louisiana Purchase

• Died on the 50th anniversary of the Dec of Ind.

The Declaration of Independence• Persuasion – writing designed to change the

way a person thinks or acts– The writer must back up his points with specific

examples or evidence– Jefferson lists very specific things King George has

done against the colonies

• Charged language - words with a strong positive or negative connotation (emotional response) used to plant an image in reader’s head – Tyranny means oppressive power, but evokes an

emotional response– Massacre – as in the Boston Massacre

The Declaration of Independence• Parallel Structure – repeated word,

phrases, or style which adds flow and continuity– The dog ran under the fence, across the yard,

and into the street.– To eat properly is as important as exercising

regularly. – Eating properly is as important as exercising

regularly. – Jefferson repeats the opening words, “He

has…” to lend a certain flow to his list of complaints

The Declaration of Independence• Jefferson states that this will be an explanation

to the world why the US has “dissolved the political bands” with England

• Government’s job is to secure the rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

• If the gov’t isn’t doing its job, it is the responsibility of the governed to do something about it– Jefferson does say that people shouldn’t get rid of

gov’t lightly– Often, people will live in suffering rather than risk

change

• But, it gets to the point that something must be done – that is where the colonies are

The Declaration of IndependenceJefferson introduces his list of “repeated injures

and usurpations”• Refused to pass laws that will benefit the people• Hasn’t allowed the governors to pass needed

laws w/o his permission and then refuses to address those needs

• Refused to pass laws to recognize large groups unless they forfeit their representation

• Called representative meetings in inconvenient and uncomfortable places

• Dissolved representation b/c they disagreed with him

• Then refused to replace the representation he dissolved

• Refused to adopt an “immigration policy”

The Declaration of Independence• Refused to appoint judiciary powers

(judges)• Made judged completely beholden to him

so he can control them• Created new positions and sent officers to

harass the colonies• Kept armies in their midst even in times of

peace• Made the military superior to local

authorities (martial law)

The Declaration of Independence• Next is a list of complaints all in one

– Citizens are housing & feeding soldiers– Refusing to prosecute the soldiers for their crimes– Using them to cut off trade – Imposing taxes w/o our consent– No trial by jury available (likely due to the judge

shortage)– Trying Americans in England– Eliminating English law in Quebec and replacing in

with made-up laws to scare the colonies– For dismantling the colonial law and gov’t system– Suspending our own legislatures (representation)

The Declaration of Independence• declared us out of his protection and

declared war on us

• “plundered,” “ravaged,” “burned,” and “ravaged” – emotional language – – maybe a little propaganda to spark some

sympathy for the “poor” colonies

• Using foreign mercenaries – Hessians

• Forced Americans into the British Navy to fight against their own people

• Has tried to use the Indians against us

The Declaration of Independence• Jefferson makes sure to point out that the

colonies have tried to handle this without war• Again uses the word “tyrant” – do you think he

wants us to remember that?• Have tried to work with the British people for

some help – got no where – So they are now our enemies

• Here is the declaration– We “solemnly publish and declare that these united

colonies…are to be free and independent states.”– Then lists all the rights that come with independence

• Pledge “our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor” – parallel structure

Thomas Paine• From England and moved to America after

meeting Ben Franklin• 1776 – Common Sense – pamphlet that argued

America’s need for independence• Joined the army and wrote the first of The

American Crisis essays• Washington ordered the essay read to his troops

before they crossed the Delaware to defeat the Hessians

• Involved in the French Revolution where American opinion of him turned

• Died a broken unhappy man• Later he was recognized for his efforts in the

American Revolution

The Crisis• “These are the times that try men’s souls.”

– very famous line

• Begins by addressing commitment to the cause (sunshine patriot & summer soldier)

• Nothing worth having is easily won –

• Compares Britain’s control of the colonies to slavery

• God will not give up on the US b/c we tried so hard to avoid this

• Can’t see how the king can look to God for help after his actions

The Crisis• Example of “unfatherly statement” –

reflects on the fact that if these colonists don’t address it, it will be left for their children to deal with

• America must break free from “foreign dominion”

• Calls on ALL people & states to join forces– The evil or blessing will reach us all, so we all

have a responsibility to participate

• “blood of his children” – again a reference to protecting the lives and futures of their children

The Crisis• Disclaimer – not hungry for war b/c

unjustified, it is murder

• However, we have the right to defend ourselves from intruders

• It doesn’t matter who the villain is – doesn’t care if it is his king or his countryman – he has declared himself a threat and should be dealt with

Phillis Wheatley• Slave born in West Africa – very special

• Owners educated her

• 1st poem published at age 13

• Probably published the 1st work by an African in the colonies

• Freed later, but her life remained challenging

• Died poor and alone

• Her fame an notoriety has grown continuously after her death

Wheatley’s Poetry• Personification

– The giving of human characteristics to a non-human entity

• Talking to the dog• The sad looking moon• The raging ocean

• Poems of praise– Designed to celebrate a variety of subjects and

objects– Her subjects are evening and G. Washington

• Classical Allusion – reference to something from Greek or Roman culture- typically mythology– Zephyr (god of the west wind) & Aurora (goddess of

dawn) – Columbia (goddess of freedom/America)

“An Hymn to the Evening”• Sun forsook the eastern main – sunrise• Storms shook the earth and end• After storms, “blooming spring” – the

flowers’ beauty and scent are more obvious

• The streams and the birds are singing• Beauty is everywhere, but especially an

evening sky after a storm – lovely red• Reminds us that the earth is God’s living

temple

“A Hymn to Evening”• Praises him who gives the light – God

• Sleep follows sunset which resets us

• Allowing us to rise and the beauty of “God’s temple” to guard us against sin– As we look around, we can’t help but see God

in nature – thereby reminding us of his presence

• She sleeps until dawn when it all begins again

“To His Excellency, General Washington”

• Begins to celebrate Columbia’s work

• Her mother (Earth) is sympathetic– Interesting that Wheatley associated

Columbia (freedom) as a child of earth– She is suggesting that freedom is an earth-

born right

• Other nations see something brand new

• Sun & moon watch as thing unfold

• Here comes Columbia (America) described as beautiful and graceful

• Columbia’s army begins its attack – like storms on an ocean or leaves that cover the ground in the fall

• Turns to Washington– He already knows their accomplishments– She demands that others acknowledge his and his

army’s grace and glory

• Reminds us of America’s success in the French/Indian war and uses that success to threaten others

• Columbia wins – Britannia (England) is defeated b/c of their blindness to Columbia’s power

• Washington will have rewards in heaven after this!

Abigail Adams• Remarkable woman – the wife of John Adams

(2nd Pres) and Mother of John Q. Adams (6th Pres)

• Pioneer for women’s rights• Received no formal education, however, ALL

(including her daughter) her children were well-educated

• Married John Adams during the Am. Rev. and became a wonderful correspondent (letters)

• Died and her published letters mark her as a pioneer for women’s rights

“Letter to Her Daughter from the New White House”

• Letter written during the construction of the new White House

• Begins with details of the journey– Getting lost and acquiring a guide

• City - she italicizes it as a way to sort of be sarcastic– Describes outskirts of Washington - cottages w/o

glass– Buildings for Congress

• Begins to describe the White House itself– View of river– Staff needed to care for it– “great castle”– No bells – to summon servants

• w/ some bells and firewood, she says she will be please

• As for firewood – forests everywhere, but no one to cut and haul the wood

• “new country” – means it is so new that the comforts and things she has always taken for granted are missing

• Makes sure her daughter won’t tell of her complaints

• Lists challenges of living in an unfinished house• Overall is satisfied with the house • Closes letter with mention of Mrs. Washington &

Mt. Vernon

Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crevecoeur• 1st writer to call America a “melting pot” –

referring to the combination of cultures coming together

• Emigrated from France to Quebec• Worked as a trader and surveyor & settled in

New York• 1780 – traveled to London and published Letters

from an American Farmer• Returned in 1783- farm burned, wife killed, kids

with other parents• Returned to Paris during the French Revolution• Continued writing about America (largely

forgotten in the political turmoil)

From Letters from an American Farmer• Epistles – letters meant to be read by the public

– basically essays written in letter form• Begins letter by addressing how the people of

other countries came together– None should claim their home countries b/c there was

nothing worth claiming there– No food, work, couldn’t own property, no opportunity

• They left – “here they are become men”– Means that here they have their own lives, dreams,

goals, etc…– Uses a metaphor to compare the poor to plants –

there they withered, here they thrive

From Letters from an American Farmer• Were only known as the poor – here they

are citizens– What caused the change – their own

motivation

• He ties together all opportunity and benefits of the American system to the people themselves. – We afford ourselves our own opportunities

through our gov’t and laws

• Points out that the land where one finds success is his or her home

From Letters from an American Farmer

• What is an American?– The man who lets go of the idea of “purity”– Gives example of intermarriage within

cultures to produce the “American”– Lets go of all ancient prejudices and manners

and takes on new ones from his new home

• New race will one day cause great changes– Sees possibility of open minds and new

thoughts

From Letters from an American Farmer• American should love his new country

– The rewards are equal to his labor which is based on his self-interest

– Families, once starved, thrive and help with the labor

– Doesn’t lose any of what he works for to anyone else (this was before income tax!)

• The individual is transformed from something weak and beat down – “This is an American”