UNIT TWO: REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD

UNIT TWO: REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD

(A.K.A. AGE OF REASON & AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT)

AS A QUICK REVIEW, I LIKE TO ATTACH IMAGES (FOR VISUAL LEARNERS) TO THE DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS TO HELP YOU

REMEMBER MAJOR DETAILS FOR EACH ONE.

NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE

COLONIALISM

AGE OF REASON

A NATION IS BORN:

REVOLUTIONARY AMERICA

Beliefs of the Revolutionary Period:

• had little interest in the “hereafter”

• valued reason over faith

• believed in the power of reason and science to

further human progress

• saw the basis of government as a social contract

• viewed people as basically good, not evil

Great upheavals in history occur when circumstances are ripe; people want

CHANGE.

UNIT TWO’S THEME:

THERE ARE TIMES WHEN

QUESTIONING THOSE IN

AUTHORITY BECOMES

NECESSARY.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:

SETTING THE STAGE FOR WAR

WATCH THE UPCOMING VIDEO. PAY ATTENTION TO THE INFORMATION

ABOUT . . .

King George III and

Parliament impose a

series of taxes and

regulations to pay off their

debt from the French and

Indian War.

The Colonists protest

the unfair treatment

and taxes.

(Boston Tea Party)

First Continental

Congress Meets

(1774)

“THE PRICE OF INDEPENDENCE”

WATCH THIS VIDEO.THE PRICE OF INDEPENDENCE

THE SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS MEETS AND ADOPTS THE DECLARATION

OF INDEPENDENCE (1776)

The War Ends --

General

Cornwallis

surrenders to

Washington

(1781)

Literature of thePeriod

•writing in this time

period is very

public and

political in

nature

• nearly 30 newspapers

• almost 40 magazines

•Political

Writing

examples:

•speeches

•documents

•pamphlets

POETRY• Philip Freneau

• America’s earliest

important lyric poet

• Phillis Wheatley

• America’s first African-

American poet

PHILLIS WHEATLEY

SHE WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN,

THE FIRST SLAVE, AND THE THIRD WOMAN IN THE U.S. TO PUBLISH A

BOOK OF POEMS.

Other writings of the time…

•No American novels or plays of

importance have been written yet

•The modern short story has yet to be

invented

GET OUT A SHEET OF PAPER

FOR TODAY”S ASSIGNMENT