Key Figures & Periods in Early American Literature
Early American Literature Timeline
Before 1600: Native American Oral Traditions
Legends and myths of the American Natives, such as The Coyote Legends.
17th Century: Colonial Writings (c. 1600s)
- Journey Chronicles
- Exploration Diaries
- Key Figures:
- John Smith
- John White
- Walter Raleigh
- Religious Literature: Arrival of the Pilgrims in America (1620). Key figures include William Bradford and John Winthrop.
18th Century: Revolution and Early Republic (c. 1700s)
- Thomas Paine (1737-1809): Author of Common Sense.
- Benjamin Franklin: Known for political literature.
- James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851): Author of The Last of the Mohicans.
- Washington Irving (1783-1859): Author of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.
These writers achieved fame during their lifetimes. They were popular authors, even if their literary output was relatively small. They were influenced by Gothic and phantasmagoric literature.
19th Century: American Renaissance & Beyond (c. 1800s)
- Herman Melville (1819-1891): Wrote the novel Moby Dick and the novellas Benito Cereno and Billy Budd.
- Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
- Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864): Author of The Scarlet Letter.
- The Transcendentalists:
- Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862): Author of Walden.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
- Mark Twain (1835-1910): Author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Prince and the Pauper.
- Stephen Crane (1871-1900): Author of The Red Badge of Courage.
Thomas Paine: Voice of Revolution
He was born on January 29, 1737, at Thetford, Norfolk in England. In 1774, he met Benjamin Franklin in London, who advised him to emigrate to America, giving him letters of recommendation.
By November 1774, he was a director of the Pennsylvania Magazine or American Museum. His first publication was “African Slavery in America”.
On January 10, 1776, Paine formulated his ideas on American independence in his pamphlet Common Sense. In this pamphlet, he argued that independence was the only solution to the colonists’ problems.
During the War of Independence, Paine began writing his highly influential series of sixteen pamphlets, The American Crisis.
In 1777, he became Secretary of the Committee of Foreign Affairs in Congress.
In Europe, he was a great influence on the French Revolution. In 1791, he wrote Rights of Man. In 1795, he wrote Agrarian Justice.
Paine died in New York City on the morning of June 8, 1809.
John Winthrop: Puritan Leader
- 1588: Born.
- 1613: Studied law at Gray’s Inn in London.
- 1615: Married Thomasine Clopton.
- 1618: Married Margaret Tyndall.
- 1634: Voted out of the governorship.
- 1637: Reelected governor.
- 1640: Voted out of governorship.
- 1642: Reelected governor.
- 1646: Reelected governor and served until his death.
- 1649: Died on March 26.
John Smith: Jamestown Explorer
He was born in 1580 and died in 1631.
Upon opening the sealed box of instructions from the Virginia Company, Smith learned he was to be a member of the Council of the Colony.
He explored the territory around Chesapeake Bay, traded with the Indians for food, enforced order and work among the settlers, and probably saved the Jamestown Colony from complete extinction.
In 1615, he again sailed for New England. Despite his hopes for the Plymouth Company, he never saw America again.
He died in London in June 1631.
Washington Irving: Early American Storyteller
He was born in April 1783 and died in November 1859. Best known for his short stories (The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, Rip Van Winkle).
He and James Fenimore Cooper were the first American writers to earn acclaim in Europe. He was a member of the American diplomatic staff in Britain and Spain.
He was noted for speaking against the mishandling of relations with Native American tribes by Europeans and Americans. Irving is also the author of The Adventures of Captain Bonneville and Astoria. In 1840, he returned to Europe as the American ambassador to Spain.
His first book was A History of New York from the Beginning of the World to the End of the Dutch Dynasty.
In 1819-1820, he published The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent.
Irving wrote The Life and Voyages of Christopher Columbus in 1828. In 1851, he wrote an “Author’s Revised Edition”. Irving came back to the United States and published Legends of the Conquest of Spain in 1835. He popularized the nickname “Gotham” for New York City, which was later famously used in Batman comics and movies.
Native American Oral Literature
Storytelling is one of the ways that many tribes kept their cultures alive. Many legends are still told—some old, some new—but all are part of the beautiful culture that the indigenous people of North America have had and still have. There are various types of stories, including:
- Hero stories
- Trickster stories
- Tales that serve as warnings
- Many other types as well