How the Colonization Era affected Authors
The atmosphere of which a writer adapts to affects his/her works. The writer's environment, and the churnings of history that feed the writer, gives him the material whereby he can construct, and create in. History, in this instance the colonization of the American continent, dictates what and how he is to write. Authors such as John Smith, William Bradford, and St. Jean de Crevecoeur are all examples of this. The atmosphere or society these authors were in directly affected the attitude, tone, genre, etc. of their works. This can be shown both by facts in history and their actual writings of that period.
During the 17th century Pilgrims, which were a group of Separatist Puritans, disliked being in England and wanted to go to America for the right to practice their religion freely (and in 1620 they received a patent from Virginia which allowed them to settle in New England aboard the Mayflower).
In 1606, King James I granted a charter authorizing overlapping grants of land in Virginia to two separate joint-stock companies, one based in London and the other in Plymouth. Captain John Smith planned to conquer New England's "goodly, strong, and well-proportioned (Indian) people" and establish an English colony there. He then led the Virginia Company of London to successfully establishing the colony. His work The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles told about his colonization
process and explorations, as he described America as a utopian society. As mentioned in his work, Smith maintained satisfactory relations with the Indians, as shown by his letter to Queen Anne when he says "That some ten years ago being in Virginia, and taken prisoner by the power of Powhatan their chief King, I received from this great savage exceeding great courtesy, especially from his son Nantaquaus. . . .And his sister Pocahontas, the King's most dear and well-beloved daughter, being but a child of twelve or thirteen years of age, whose compassionate pitiful heart, of my desperate estate, gave me much cause to respect her. . . ." Smith prevented Virginia from disintegrating.
This is shown in his piece, as he tries hard to persuade people to come to America as shown by his statement "And surely by reason of those sandy cliffs, and cliffs of rocks . . . . who can but approve this a most excellent place, bo...
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...erican slaves were worked very hard (many times they were worked to death). They were treated brutally and unfairly.
Slavery was the biggest factor in economic prosperity because they cultivated the cash crops. The independence of the colonies was gained when, after a colonial conflict in reaction to British taxes like the Tea Act, the second continental congress declared independence and wrote the Declaration of Independence.
Thus all of these events leading to the colonization of America influenced writing during, and after, that time period. The works of Smith, Bradford, and de Crevecoeur serve as a basis for future writings on the history of colonization. The atmosphere created in these works is reflected by the society during that time. That's why the environment an author is in so greatly affects his/her pieces of literature. For example, Smith might not be able to write many of the things he did in his work in today's time because today's society might oppose or disdain some of his ideas or his
stylistic approach to his conclusions. Therefore, the society or setting present at a specific time is indicative of pieces of literature, as in the colonization of America.
Because of his restlessness in England, Smith became actively involved with plans to colonize Virginia, which had been granted a charter from King James I. After setting sail, this famous expedition finally reached Virginia in April, after enduring a lengthy voyage of over four months in three tiny ships. John Smith was one of the seven chosen to govern and start the colony. He took a...
Virtual Jamestown. "Indenture Contract of Richard Lowther." Personal Narratives from the Virtual Jamestown Project, 1575-1705. http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/jamestown-browse?id=J1046
... characteristics for other countries that Americans could be identified by. His books added legend and culture to America.
America's greatest and most influential authors developed their passion for writing due to cataclysmic events that affected their life immensely. The ardent author Richard Wright shared similar characteristics to the many prominent American authors, and in fact, attained the title of most well-known black author of America. Richard Wright created many important pieces of literature, that would impact America's belief of racial segregation, and further push the boundaries of his controversial beliefs and involvements in several communist clubs.
Slavery was a practice in many countries in the 17th and 18th centuries, but its effects in human history was unique to the United States. Many factors played a part in the existence of slavery in colonial America; the most noticeable was the effect that it had on the personal and financial growth of the people and the nation. Capitalism, individualism and racism were the utmost noticeable factors during this most controversial period in American history. Other factors, although less discussed throughout history, also contributed to the economic rise of early American economy, such as, plantationism and urbanization. Individually, these factors led to an enormous economic growth for the early American colonies, but collectively, it left a social gap that we are still trying to bridge today.
The literary rebellion, known as realism, established itself in American writing as a direct response to the age of American romanticism’s sentimental and sensationalist prose. As the dominance of New England’s literary culture waned “a host of new writers appeared, among them Bret Harte, William Dean Howells, and Mark Twain, whose background and training, unlike those of the older generation they displaced, were middle-class and journalistic rather than genteel or academic” (McMichael 6). These authors moved from tales of local color fiction to realistic and truthful depictions of the complete panorama of American experience. They wrote about uniquely American subjects in a humorous and everyday language, replete with their character’s misdeeds and shortcomings. Their success in creating this plain but descriptive language, the language of the common man, signaled the end of American reverence for British and European culture and for the more formal use of language associated with those traditions. In essence, these new authors “had what [the author] Henry James called “a powerful impulse to mirror the unmitigated realities of life,” in contrast to the romanticist’s insistence “on the author’s rights to avoid representations of “squalid misery” and to present instead an idealized and “poetic” portrait of life” (McMichael 6).
Writers throughout history have always influenced or have been influenced by the era that which they live in. Many famous authors arose during The Age of Discovery and The Romantic Period all of whom had very distinctive writing styles that held true to their era. To find the differences between the two eras, it is important to understand the era, at which time the literature was wrote, the writing style, and the subject matter.
When the Virginia Co., chartered by King James I, arrived in Virginia in 1607, the Virginia Co. gave land freely to men who payed their own voyage to Virginia. For every servant or family member who accompanied whose voyage was also payed for, 50 acres of land was given. In Massachusetts, land was allocated to wealthy individuals who were well connected with higher-ups or royal officials. Both settlements seeing that they have a right to just take and claim their land proved to be a big issue. The colonists figured that since the Native Americans did not have visible claims on land, that said land was free for the taking. Also, from the Native American point of view, they assumed that they would be sharing land with the colonists, not being robbed of it. Moreover, the Puritans even punished the Native Americans for not using the land to its maximum potential. The disagreements and different religious outlooks between the settlements and the Native Americans resulted in wars such as the Pequot War (1636) and the King Philips War (1675). This is significant because over the next hundreds of years, Native Americans would continue to get pushed out from their own homeland, and, set a precedent that we, Americans, can take virtually anything we
The profitable labor system of slavery was exploitative and dehumanizing, however, there were positive incentives for the slaves.
After the French and Indian War, England had gained new territories west of the Appalachian mountains for which the Crown had specific plans which was to be laid out in the form of a proclamation. 1 The King issued the proclamation of 1763 which said that colonists would be prohibited from settling in the new lands west of the Appalachian divide. The King proclaimed that the newly acquired lands would be given to the Indians and no settlers could cross the divide, except traders licensed by the Crown. The Proclamation of 1763 was seen as the best way to prevent violence with the Indians, and keep the colonies close to the mother country. “western expansion seemed a good way to save money, prevent trouble with the Indians, and keep the colonies tied closely to the mother country.” (The American Nation 100). The Proclamation of 1763 was quickly followed by the Sugar Act , in 1764 and the Stamp Act a year later. These three decisions by the Crown brought together Colonists in opposition to the decisions and eventually opposition to the Crown itself. These Colonists, these soon to be revolutionaries and nation builders
Though the Puritans, as well as some later groups, fled to the American colonies to escape religious persecution or restrictions, the fact remains that the Puritans had been granted "a charter from King James" for their settlement. Thus, the colonists who came to America for religious reasons were serving the primary purpose of generating profits for the Mother country of England (Boorstin et al.
Poet, journalist, essayist, and novelist Richard Wright developed from an uneducated Southerner to one of the most cosmopolitan, politically active writers in American literature. In many of Richard Wright's works, he exemplifies his own life and proves to “white” America that African American literature should be taken seriously. Before Wright, “white” America failed to acknowledge the role African American writing played in shaping American culture. It was shocking in itself that an African American could write at all. Thus, Richard Wright is well known as the father of African American literature mainly because of his ability to challenge the literary stereotypes given to African Americans.
The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles by John Smith, portrays the enormous troubles the settlers were faced with by the Native Americans. He explains how he was captured by Indians and also saved by a young Native American girl, Pocahontas. He vividly describes the ceremonies and rituals of the Natives performed before his execution. However, the execution never occurred due to the tremendous mercy showed by the king’s daughter who blanketed John Smith’s body her own. Pocahontas went on to persuade the Native Americans to help the settlers by giving them food and other necessities. Despite her efforts to reach peaceful grounds, her people were still bitter and planned an attacks on the colony. Nevertheless, Pocahontas saved them once again by warning the settlers of attacks. Pocahontas went on to marry an Englishman and traveled to England. She resembled the prosperity and good that was to be found in an untamed land.
Settlers in the Chesapeake region used force to take possession of Indian lands. The Chesapeake region of the colonies included Virginia, Maryland, the New Jerseys and Pennsylvania. In 1607, Jamestown (the first English colony in the New World) was founded by a group of settlers along the James River. And because the colony was near water, the Pilgrims had a great advantage. They created a society that was full of companies interested in profiting from the natural resources of the New World. They also turned to the local Powhatan Indians, who taught them the process of corn- and tobacco-growing. These staple-crops flourished throughout all five of these colonies. After the ship arrived, John Smith’s main concern was to “dig gold, refine gold, and load gold” but there was no g...
History, current events, and social events have really influenced American Literature. Authors have been influenced by the world around them and that has reflected in their works. This can be seen throughout the many eras studied in this class. It can also be seen in all types of literature such as playwrights, fiction, non-fiction, and poems. It can also be seen in all of the different writing styles such as, realism, modernism, and post modernism. It is important that American Literature has been influenced this way because Authors have shown us their personal views and insight to situations one would not get out of a history textbook.