American Literature: Revolution to Early Republic
The Birth of a Nation
The most memorable writing in the 18th century was done by the Founding Fathers, the men who led the Revolution of 1775-1783 and who wrote the Constitution of 1789. Their most typical product was the political pamphlet. They shared the Enlightenment belief that human intelligence could understand both nature and man. They wanted to create a happy society based on justice and freedom.
Benjamin Franklin
The writings of Benjamin Franklin show the Enlightenment spirit in America at its best and most optimistic. His style is quite modern, and his works are a joy to read. Although he strongly disagreed with the opinions of the Puritans, his works show a return to their ”plain style”. He had no liking for poetry and felt that writing should always have a practical purpose. The Dogood Papers are a series of short pieces which are very funny but full of moral advice. His Poor Richard’s Almanac gives similar advice. He also included many ”sayings” about saving money and working hard. In 1757, he collected together the best of his sayings, making them into an essay called The Way to Wealth, and it became one of the best-sellers of the Western world. During the first half of his adult life, Franklin worked as a printer of books and newspapers. As a scientist, he wrote important essays on electricity. His popularity grew because of his inventions, writings, and his support of the American Revolution. Almost all of his important works are quite short. He invented one type of short prose which influenced the development of a story-telling form in America, called the ”hoax” or the ”tall tale”. Franklin’s only real book was his Autobiography. The first part is an entertaining description of his life up to early manhood. The second part is when Franklin was a tired old man, and the style is more serious. Franklin realizes the part he has played in American history and writes about himself ”for the improvement of others”.
Political Journalism Before the Revolution
The period just before the start of the Revolution saw a flood of political journalism. They were mostly in the form of pamphlets rather than newspapers. James Otis was one early propagandist who used violent language and criticism in his attacks on the British. Other pro-independence writers included John Dickinson and John Adams. Adams later became the second president of the United States. Other pamphlet-writers, like Samuel Seabury and Daniel Leonard, wrote for the pro-British side. Most of them had to escape after the Revolution.
Thomas Paine
The greatest pamphlet-writer of the American Revolution was Thomas Paine. He wrote Common Sense, the most historically important pamphlet in American history. Its clear thinking and exciting language quickly united American feelings against England. He seemed to express what the readers themselves had been secretly thinking. He also issued a series of thirteen pamphlets called The Crisis. Paine was also active in the French Revolution and wrote The Rights of Man.
Thomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, was an important writer. He wrote it in a beautiful style, which is also a fine work of literature. It is a clear and logical statement of why America wanted its independence. He built upon the ideas of such philosophers as John Locke. The Declaration was revised 86 times before it was finally signed. Soon after the war, Jefferson wrote one of the best descriptions of early America, Notes on the State of Virginia. Although he owned slaves, he attacked the slavery system. Jefferson was deeply influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment. He believed that man did not have to depend on God to improve the world and should use his own wisdom to do the improving by himself. He also believed that all humanity is naturally good. On the other hand, he was afraid that the commercial pressure of city life would destroy this goodness.
The Federalist Papers
The Federalist Papers were the major documents of those opposed to Jefferson’s thinking. They are 85 essays, and Alexander Hamilton wrote 51 of the essays. They are written in a calm and clear style.
Poetry and Prose in Revolutionary America
In Revolutionary America, both prose and poetry had a political or practical purpose. Philip Freneau was perhaps the best poet of his time. From the beginning, he wrote in the cause of American independence with strong patriotic feeling. In his poem Pictures of Columbus, he mixed gloomy descriptions of nature with sharp attacks on British tyranny. He himself fought on an American ship and was captured by the British. He writes about this experience in his British Prison Ship.
Revolutionary Era Poets
Poets of the Revolutionary era often imitated the “neoclassical” style and themes of the great English poets. Usually, they wrote in couplets, but also blank verse. They often used old-fashioned language in their poetry.
The Connecticut Wits
The “Connecticut Wits” were rather more conservative in both their style and politics. They were America’s very first poetic “circle”. Although they were strong supporters of the American side in the Revolution, they hated the democratic philosophy of Paine and Jefferson. Most of them were Federalist in their politics and Calvinists in their religion. John Trumbull was the best writer of satire. His most famous poem was a criticism of American education, The Progress of Dulness. Another satirical poem was M’Fingal. Timothy Dwight wrote in the neoclassical style of Alexander Pope. Some of his themes are rather Puritan. In The Triumph of Infidelity, he describes Satan’s efforts throughout history to conquer God’s creatures. In Greenfield Hill, he tries to persuade the reader that the New World is far better than the Old. Joel Barlow was different from the rest. He had hoped to make a living by his poetry, but this was still impossible in America. His Vision of Columbus is a long patriotic poem. He made this long poem even longer and called it The Columbiad. His best-loved poem, however, has nothing to do with politics. The Hasty Pudding is a humorous and realistic description of the making of a favorite New England dessert. This is called a mock-heroic poem because it uses heroic, neoclassical language and rhythms for very important subjects to describe something unimportant and everyday. The effect is often very funny.
Early American Drama
In the years immediately after the Revolution, there were also some hopeful beginnings in drama. New England Puritans and some other Protestant groups believed that the theatre was “an invention of the devil”, bad for the morals of the people. America’s first theatre was in Williamsburg, Virginia. Thomas Godfrey‘s Prince of Parthia was probably the first American play to be professionally produced. William Dunlap was the most active playwright, with successful plays as The Father and André. The Contrast by Royall Tyler was the first comedy by an American author using characters from his own country.
The New American Personality
The development of the new American personality can also be seen in the writings of J. Hector St. John de Crèvecoeur. He wrote Letters from an American Farmer, which is one of the earliest explanations of the American personality. Crèvecoeur did not describe America as a utopia, nor did he expect it to become one. To him, the ideal American was a social man who cooperates with his neighbors while earning his own living from farming.