American Revolution Literature: Key Texts & Influences
Topic 4: The Literature of the Revolution
American Testament
The settlers of Jamestown and Plymouth, the War of Independence, the Civil War, and the Frontier all constitute a kind of sacred history, considering America as a miracle. America is founded on texts:
- The Bible, with many comparisons between real life and its content.
- The American Testament.
- The Declaration of Independence.
- The Gettysburg Address.
The Declaration of Independence
The Origin of American Independence
The 13 colonies had effectively governed themselves since the beginning, with little interference from England. The steps to independence were various:
- 13 colonies, differing geographically, religiously, economically, and culturally.
- Seven years of war.
- Question of taxation: The army is needed against Indian rebellions, and Britain wants America to pay for its own security.
- 1773: Boston Tea Party.
- 1774: First step towards a union of the 13 colonies.
- Lexington: First armed clash between Patriots and the British.
- The Continental Army is formed, and George Washington is made general.
- July 4th: Thomas Jefferson drafts the Declaration of Independence, signed by the Continental Congress.
The Declaration of Independence constitutes a manifesto for democracy. Lincoln regarded it as a pledge for the future. American history may be read as a sequence of steps. America was better equipped to achieve true democracy. The USA is the first nation without any feudal heritage.
- The Revolutionary War ends in 1783, and the 13 states unite in a loose confederation.
- In 1787, representatives of the 13 states met in Philadelphia to find a way to a more perfect union called The Constitution of the United States of America.
American Constitution
This constitution has become the blueprint for all other constitutions in the world. It establishes the separation of powers and invents the three branches of government with the authority they need to fulfill their missions. A Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution, and in more than 200 years, 16 amendments have been added to the Bill of Rights, abolishing slavery, giving the vote to blacks and to women, and limiting the presidency to two terms. Together with the Bible, it is considered a sacred text.
The Civil War
Slavery stood in glaring contradiction with the principles of the Declaration of Independence. Many northern states had abolished slavery after independence. A number of plantation owners freed their slaves in their will. However, problems emerged because the North put mounting pressure on the South to abolish slavery, but the answer was to break with the Union and form a Confederacy. Thus, we find the Battle of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, in 1863.
The Gettysburg Address
Was delivered by President Lincoln. It was one of the greatest political speeches of all time. After the war, the Southern states are forced to give up slavery. After that, Martin Luther King delivers the speech I Have a Dream.
Key Texts:
- The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776.
- The United States Constitution (We the People).
- The Gettysburg Address, 1863 – Lincoln.
- I Have a Dream – Martin Luther King.
Topic 5: American Literature in the Age of Reason
Literary Implications of the American Revolution
Military victory and political independence from Britain led to the search for native literature becoming an obsession. In the 18th century, there was no fiction in America. Puritans didn’t like literature because, in their minds, fiction tells lies.
Characteristics:
- Emphasis on logic and traditional thought; emphasis on the good of the community, not the individual.
- Rise of literary magazines.
- Captive narrative as a unique form of literature found in the colonies.
- The rise of newspapers across the country.
- Almanacs were very popular.
Writers:
- Ben Franklin: The Autobiography (1791).
- Michel-Guillaume Jean de Crèvecoeur: Farmer’s Letters: Letters from an American Farmer (1782).
- Phillis Wheatley: On Being Brought from Africa to America.