Short Stories for Teachers
In the beginning, America was a series of British colonies on the east coast of the present-day United States. Therefore, its literary tradition begins with the tradition of English literature. However, very quickly unique American characteristics and the breadth of its production began to develop an American writing tradition.
Some consider Captain John Smith to be the first American author, when he wrote The General Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles (1624)
Similar writer of interest include Daniel Cox, John Hammond, Gabriel Thomas, George Percy, Daniel Denton, Thomas Ash, John Lawson and William Strachey.
Poetry was also written in those early days, Nicholas Noyes wrote Doggerel verse.
Edward Taylor and Anne Bradstreet were popular and Michael Wiggleworth was known for his best selling poem. The Day of Doom.
It is almost inevitable that given the history of the early American settlers, religious questions were rich topics for early writings. A journal written by John Winthrop discussed the religious foundations of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Edward Winslow also recorded a diary of the first years after the Mayflower's arrival. Other religiously influenced writers included Increase Mather and William Bradford, author of the journal published as A History of Plymouth Plantation, 1620-47. Others like Roger Williams and Nathaniel Ward more fiercely argued state and church separation.
A Calvinistic revival in the early 18th century inspired strict Puritan and other religious writers including, Samuel Willard, John Wise, Uriah Oakes, Thomas Shepard, and Thomas Hooker. Other less strict writers were Samuel Sewell, Sarah Kemble-Knight and William Byrd.
Interaction and conflict with the Indians are described by Daniel Gookin, Alexandra Whitaker, John Mason, Benjamin Church and Mary Rowlandson.
The Bible was also translated into the Algonquin language by John Eliot and Mary Rowlandson.
It is inevitable that during the revolutionary period political writings would abound and these included works by the colonists, John Dickinson, Josiah Quincy, Samuel Adams, and loyalist Joseph Galloway.
Benjamin Franklin's work; Poor Richard's Almanac and The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin were popular and influenced the building of an American identity. Pain's works, common Sense, and, The American Crisis, also plays a key role in the political development of that period of history.
