1. Houston Moore

2.  This was a war fought between England and
its American Colonies for the independence
of the colonies.
 Ultimately the Colonies defeated England
and won their independence.
 The war caused a change in culture and thus a
change in the literature of the time.

3.  This time period produced several famous
authors including Benjamin Franklin, Paul
Revere, Thomas Paine, etc.
 Many of the writings of the time are written
from the battlefront or from a perspective of
the revolutionary.
 Many less famous pieces were written from
English loyalists and are equally important to
understanding the literature of the time.

4.  Unfortunately many of the writing of the
time are lost because they were written on
the battlefront and mail was unlikely to be
delivered
 John Bowater wrote, “You must not sent out
of the way when anything is going home and
it is at least a thousand to one you do not
receive this.”

5.  During this time many of the writings
especially at the beginning of the revolution
are call-to-arms are very stirring to the soul.
 They feature a strong sense of patriotism and
of camaraderie among the colonists.
 Many of these writings are almost pleading
for support and loyalty

6.  "These are the times that try men's soul's.
The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot
will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of
his country; but he that stands
it now, deserves the love and thanks of man
and women“ –Thomas Paine
 This is an excellent example of a call-to-arms
 It not only calls on the potential soldiers but
for others like wives and children to do what
ever they can to further the revolution

7.  Paine was an avid patriot
and wrote some of the
most stirring pieces from
the time period
 In 1776 he wrote a 79 page
pamphlet, Common Sense,
a piece in which consisted
of “nothing more than
simple facts, plain
arguments, and common
sense" on the idea of
American independence
from England.

8.  Paine was an active patriot serving in
Washington’s army.
 His writing was the most influential thing he
did.
 He wrote the Crisis Papers which spoke out
against loyalists and inspired the colonists to
continue fighting

9.  The Puritans also produced a great deal of
literature during this time period.
 Plain speech was highly regarded in this
genre.
 In other words the works of these authors got
straight to the point.
 The Puritans saw life as a constant moral
struggle and attempted to portray this in
their writings and represent true life.

10.  During the revolution
Patrick Henry delivered
one of the most
important lines of speech
to the American cause.
 He said, “Give me liberty
or give me death.”
 He said this while
speaking to the Virginia
legislature while urging
Virginians to arm
themselves.

11.  During and shortly after the Revolution few
great works emerged from American authors
(with the exception of fantastic political
writings).
 This is likely because most books were
reviewed in England which made Americans
aware of how dependent they were on the
British literary model.

12.  It was difficult for American writers to find a
true American identity.
 This was particularly difficult due to their
overwhelming patriotism but were out of
necessity self-conscious which caused many
of the writings to in many ways flop.

13. Alison. "Thomas Paine's Influence on the American Revolution - Sons of the
American Revolution, Connecticut." Connecticut Society of the Sons of the
American Revolution - CTSSAR. Connecticut Sons of the American Revolution,
2000. Web. 01 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.connecticutsar.org/patriots/paine_thomas.htm>.
Campbell, D. "Brief Timeline of American Literature and Events: 1750-1759."
Washington State University - Pullman, Washington. Washington State University,
19 Sept. 2007. Web. 01 Feb. 2012.
<http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/1751.htm>.
Lombardi, Esther. "The American Revolution: Writings from the War of
Independence." Books & Literature Classics. About.com, 2012. Web. 01 Feb. 2012.
<http://classiclit.about.com/od/unitedstates/fr/aafpr_amrev.htm>.
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of American Literature. United States Information Agency. Web. 01 Feb. 2012.
<http://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/oal/oaltoc.htm>.
Verney, Victor. "The Compulsive Reader :: A Haven for Book Lovers." Compulsive
Reader. The Compulsive Reader. Web. 01 Feb. 2012.
<http://www.compulsivereader.com/html/index.php?name=news>.