1775AD Mostly American Authors

1775 T0 1828 -- THE EARLY NATIONAL PERIOD -- ESTABLISHING OUR OWN VOICE:

Another American Literature Timeline: http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/1751t.htm

Also see: http://www.auroraweb.com/america/timeline_files/1750.htm

1775 "The Group" Mercy Otis Warren (b. 1728 d. 1814) born in Barnstable Massachusetts, he lived there until 1754 when she married James Warren. In 1772, Mercy published a patriotic play "The Adulator" for the Revolutionary cause. Mercy was a friend of Abigail Adams. She continued to write poetry after the war.
 
 "The Group" Excerpt:
ACT 1 SCENE 1: Scene -- a little dark parlor, guards standing at the door -- Hazelrod, Crusty Crowbar, Simple-Sapling, Hateall, and Hector Mushroom.
Simple: I know not what to think of these sad times. They people armed -- and all resolved to die. Ere they'll submit --
Crusty Crowbar: I too am almost sick of the parade of honors purchased at the price of peace. (Conversation between them whiney)
Then...
Hazelrod: Pho - what misgivings -- why these idle qualms, this shrinking backwards at the bugbear conscience?...
Hateall: Curse on their coward fears and dastard souls;...Compassion shall never seize my steadfast breast...
Hector Mushroom: Will our abettors in distant towns support us long against the common cause..."
1776 Preamble to the "Constitution of the United States" Thomas Jefferson "...We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness..."

1776 "Common Sense" Thomas Paine (b. 1737 d. 1809) was born in England to a Quaker father and Anglican mother -- and came to America when he was 37 years old, and the supporter of the American Revolution. As a friend of Benjamin Franklin, he also was a Philadelphia journalist and became a writer for the American cause. He wanted to present the information 'to make those who can scarcely read, understand.' And to put his arguments in a language 'as plain as the alphabet.' An excerpt follows:
"...Britain is the parent country, say some. Then the more shame upon her conduct. Even brutes do not devour their young, nor savages make war upon their families; wherefore the assertion, if true, turns to her reproach; but it happens not to be true, or only partly so, and the phrase parent of mother country hath been Jesuitical adopted by the King and his parasites, with a low papistical design of gaining an unfair bias on the credulous weakness of our minds. Europe, and not England, is the parent country of America. This new world hath been the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe. Either have they fled, not from the tender embraces of the mother, but from the cruelty of the monster; and it is so far true of England, that the same tyranny which drove the first emigrants from home, pursues their descendants still."

1782 "Letters from an American Farmer" J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur (b. 1735 d. 1813) born in Caen Normandy and when 19 years of age went to England. Then in 1755 he traveled to Canada and became a surveyor of the colonies and trader with the Indians. In 1769 he bought land in Orange County New York (Pine Hill) and was later married while taking the profession of a farmer. He remained a Tory, though his wife and children were killed in an Indian attack. He died in Normandy. An excerpt follows:
"I wish I could be acquainted with the feelings and thoughts which must agitate the heart and present themselves to the mind of an enlightened Englishman, when he first lands on this continent. He must greatly rejoice that he lived at a time to see this fair country discovered and settled; he must necessarily feel a share of national pride, when he views the chain of settlements which embellishes these extended shores. When he says to himself, this is the work of my countrymen, who, when convulsed by factions, afflicted by a variety of miseries and wants, restless and impatient, took refuge here. They brought with them their national genius, to which they principally owe what liberty they enjoy, and what substance they possess. Here he sees the industry of his national country displayed in a new manner, and traces in their works the embryo of all the arts, sciences, and ingenuity which flourish in Europe. Here she beholds fair cities, substantial villages, extensive fields, an immense country filled with decent houses, good roads, orchards, meadows and bridges, where an hundred years ago all was wild, woody and uncultivated! What a train of pleasing ideas this fair spectacle must suggest; it is a prospect which must inspire a good citizen with the most heartfelt pleasure. The difficulty consists in the manner of viewing so extensive a scene. He is arrived on a new continent; a modern society offers itself to his contemplation, great lords who possess everything, and of a herd of people who have nothing. Here are no aristocratical families, no courts, no kings, no bishops, no ecclesiastical dominion. no invisible power, giving to a few a very visible one; no great manufacturers employing thousands, no great refinements of luxury. The rich and the poor are not so far removed from each other as they are in Europe. Some few towns excepted, we are all tillers of the earth, from Nova Scotia to West Florida..."

1783 "Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America" Benjamin Franklin "Savages we call them, because of their manners differ from ours, which we think the perfection of civility, they think the same of theirs. Perhaps, if we could examine the manners of different nations with impartiality, we should find no people so rude, as to be without any rules of politeness...The Indian men, when young are hunters and warriors; when old, counselors; for all their government is by counsel of the sages; there is no force, there are no prisons, no officers to compel obedience, or inflict punishment. Hence they generally study oratory, the best speaker having the most influence...The employments of men and women are considered natural and honorable..."

1786 Poems by Philip Freneau (b. 1752 d. 1832) Philip was popular in his day, but died a pauper. Following is a poem I like, but he did many on the Revolution and on the War of 1812. TO A HONEY BEE:
 
     
Thou, born to sip the lake or spring,    #
Or quaff the waters of the stream,    #
Why hither come, on vagrant wing?    #
Does Bacchus tempting seem,—    #
Did he for you this glass prepare?    #5
Will I admit you to a share?    #
    
Did storms harass or foes perplex,    #
Did wasps or king-birds bring dismay,—    #
Did wars distress or labors vex?    #
Or did you miss your way?    #10
A better seat you could not take    #
Than on the margin of this lake.    #
    
Welcome!—I hail you to my glass:    #
All welcome here you find;    #
Here let the cloud of trouble pass,    #15
Here be all care resigned.    #
This fluid never fails to please,    #
And drown the grief’s of men or bees.    #
    
What forced you here we cannot know,    #
And you will scarcely tell,    #20
But cheery we would have you go    #
And bid a glad farewell:    #
On lighter wings we bid you fly,—    #
Your dart will now all foes defy.    #
    
Yet take not, oh! too deep a drink,    #25
And in this ocean die;    #
Here bigger bees than you might sink,    #
Even bees full six feet high.    #
Like Pharaoh, then, you would be said    #
To perish in a sea of red.    #30
    
Do as you please, your will is mine;    #
Enjoy it without fear,    #
And your grave will be this glass of wine,    #
Your epitaph—a tear;    #
Go, take your seat in Charon’s boat;    #35
We ’ll tell the hive, you died afloat.    


1787 "Notes on the State of Virginia" Thomas Jefferson (b. 1743 d. 1826) President of the United States, First Secretary of State, Minister to France, Governor of Virginia, and Congressman. He wished to be remembered for three things: 1. Drafting the Declaration of Independence 2. Writing and supporting the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom and 3. Founding the University of Virginia.
Jefferson's library of 10,000 volumes started the Library of Congress. He was a great patron of the arts and also created scientific inventions. He played the violin and was a skilled horseman. An excerpt follows:
"Patowmac is 7 1/2 miles wide at the mouth; 4 1/2 at Nomony bay; 3 at Aquia; 1 1/2 at Hallooing point; 1 1/4 at Alexandria. Its soundings are, 7 fathom at the mouth; 5 at St. George's island; 4 1/2 at Lower Matchodic; 3 at Swan's point, and thence up to Alexandria; thence 10 feet water to the falls, which are 13 miles above Alexandria. These falls are 15 miles in length, and of very great descent, and the navigation above them for bateaux and canoes, is so much interrupted as to be little used. It is, however, used in a small degree up the Cohongoronta branch as far as Fort Cumberland, which was at the mouth of Wills's creek: and is capable, at no great expense, of being rendered very practicable. The Shenandoah branch interlocks with James river about the Blue ridge, and may perhaps in future be opened."
Entire manuscript: http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/toc/modeng/public/JefVirg.html

October 1787-May 1788 The Federalist Papers, (Letters to New York newspapers) The letters are written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay.
An excerpt from Hamilton: "It is sometimes asked, with an air of seeming triumph, what inducements could the States have, if disunited, to make war upon each other? It would be a full answer to this question to say--precisely the same inducements which have, at different times, deluged in blood all the nations in the world. But, unfortunately for us, the question admits of a more particular answer. There are causes of differences within our immediate contemplation, of the tendency of which, even under the restraints of a federal constitution, we have had sufficient experience to enable us to form a judgment of what might be expected if those restraints were removed."
Entire manuscript: http://thomas.loc.gov/home/histdox/fedpapers.html

1787 "A Surprising Account of the Discovery of a Lady" Abraham Pant -- His work is a fine example of the tendencies for fatalistic love in gothic literature. However, difficult to find.

1787 "The Contrast" Royall Tyler (b. 1757 d. 1826) This was the United State's first English speaking comedy and an immediate hit on stage. After the revolutionary war people became more interested in the theater. This ballad was spoken at the beginning of the play:
"Exult each Patriot heart! -- The night is shewn, A piece, which we may fairly call your own; Where the proud titles of 'My Lord! Your Grace!' To humble Mr. and plain Sir give place. Our author pictures not from foreign climes, the fashions, or the follies of the times..."

1789 GEORGE WASHINGTON BECOMES PRESIDENT, JOHN ADAMS BECOMES VICE PRESIDENT (USA)

1789 "The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano" Olaudah Equino (b.1745 d. 1797) His voice spoke movingly to many about the inhumanity of slavery. He referred to himself as "The African." Born in Nigeria, he was captured for slavery, sold to a Quaker merchant from Philadelphia who allowed Olaudah to purchase his freedom. He later left American and settled in London. An excerpt follows:
"I believe it is difficult for those who publish their own memoirs to escape the imputation of vanity; nor is this the only disadvantage under which they labor; it is also their misfortune, that what is uncommon is rarely, if ever, believed, and what is obvious we are apt to turn from disgust, and to charge the writer with impertinence. People generally think those memoirs only worthy to be read or remembered which abound in great or striking events; those, in short, with high degree excite either admiration or pity: all others they consign to contempt and oblivion. It is therefore, I confess, not a little hazardous in a private and obscure individual, and stranger too, thus to solicit the indulgent attention of the public; especially when I own I offer here the history of neither a saint, a hero, nor a tyrant..."

1790 "On the Equality of the Sexes" Judith Sargent Murray (b.1751 d.1820) Judith was the oldest of 8 children born in an elite merchant family. She eventually had her own column in a magazine and was well known for her poems, essays, plays and novels. The family was an early convert to the Universalist teachings of John Murray.
An excerpt from her work: "Yes, ye lordly, ye haughty sex, our souls are by nature equal to yours, the same breadth of God animates, enlivens, and invigorates us; and that we are not fallen lower than yourselves, let those witness who have greatly towered above the various discouragements by which we have been so heavily oppressed; and though I am unacquainted with the list of characters on either side, yet from the observations I have made in the contracted circle in which I have moved, I dare confidently believe, that from the commencement of time to the present, there hath been as many females as males who by the mere force of natural powers, have merited the crowd of applause; who thus unassisted, have seized the wrest of fame..."

1791 "Charlotte: A Tale of Truth" Susannah Rowson (b. 1762 D. 1824) A tale for young ladies so that they do not let themselves be taken advantage of...
The authors preface: "For the perusal of the young and thoughtless of the fair sex, this tale of Truth was designed; and I wish my fair readers to consider it as not merely Fancy, but as a reality...The principal characters in this little tale are now consigned to the silent tomb; it can therefore hurt the feelings of no one; and may, I flatter myself, be of service to some who are so unfortunate as to have neither friends to advise or understanding to direct them..."
(CHARLOTTE TEMPLE) Intro: "She was her parents only joy; They had but one, one darling child, Romeo and Juliet. Her form was faultless and her mind untainted yet by art, was noble, just, humane and kind, and virtue warmed her heart. But ah! The cruel spoiler came -- But one, poor one, one poor and loving child, but one thing to rejoice and solace in."

1792 "A Genuine and Correct Account of the Captivity, Sufferings, and Deliverance of Mrs. Jemima Howe" Bunker Gay -- These narratives were necessary for the sufferers as well as readily absorbed by many.
List of authors who were captive of Indians and wrote journals: http://www.assumption.edu/users/lknoles/captivity.html

1793 Anthology, "American Poems, Selected and Original" Elihu Hubbard Smith (Anthology includes: Connecticut Wits: Joel Barlow, Timothy Dwight, Lemuel Hopkins, and John Trumbull)
American Poems. The first notable anthology of American poetry, primarily devoted to the works of the Connecticut Wits, but also including poems by Philip Freneau, William Livingston, Sarah Wentworth Morton, and Robert Treat Paine.

1793 "A Word of Remembrance and Caution to the Rich" John Woolman (b. 1720 d. 1772 smallpox) Quaker Minister who opened a school for the poor and spoke against slavery. An excerpt follows:
"Our gracious creator cares and provides for all his creatures. His tender mercies are over all his works, and as far as this love influences our minds, so far we become interested in his workmanship and feel a desire to take hold of every opportunity to lessen the distresses of the afflicted and increase the happiness of the creation. Here we have the prospect of one common interest...to turn all that we possess into the channel of universal love becomes the business of our lives."

1793 "The Hapless Orphan; or, Innocent Victim of Revenge" by "An American Lady"

1793 "Hasty Pudding" Joel Barlow (b. 1754 d. 1812) was the son of a wealthy farmer in Connecticut and was very patriotic, however, he moved to Europe in 1778 and stayed for 17 years, becoming an ardent spokesman for the French Revolution. This poem is a mock epic which praises the American simplicity over the decadence of courtly Europe.
Canto One: "Ye Alps Audacious, through the heaven that rise, To cramp the day and hide me from the skies; Ye Gallic flags, that o'er their heights unfurled, Bear death to kings, and freedom to the world, I sing not you. A softer theme I choose, A Virgin theme, unconscious of the muse, But fruitful, rich, well suited to inspire the purest frenzy of poetic fire. Despise it not, ye bards to terror steeled, who hurl your thunders round the epic field..."

1794 "Greenfield Hill" Timothy Dwight (b.1752 d.1817) became the pastor of the Congregational Church at Greenfield Hill in Fairfield Connecticut 1783. In 1795 became the President at Yale College.  He led in the "Great Awakening" -- "Jesus, Thou friend, divine, Our Savior and Our King, Thy hand from every snare and foe, shall great deliverance bring."
An excerpt from "Greendfield Hill":  "...Fair Verna!  Loveliest village of the west; of every joy, and every charm, possess'd; How pleased amid the varied walks I rove, sweet, cheerful walks of innocence and love..."

1797 JOHN ADAMS BECOMES PRESIDENT UNTIL 1801 USA

1798-99 Charles Brockden Brown, "Wieland","Memoirs of the Year 1793" and "Ormond" (b.1771 d.1810) born to a Quaker family.  "Wieland" tells the terrifying story of how Theodore Wieland is driven to madness and murder by a malign ventriloquist called Carwin.  Brockden's works, Gothic, is a genre of literature that combines elements of both horror and romance. Horace Walpole with his 1764 novel The Castle of Otranto influenced the Gothic Movement.  An excerpt from "Wieland":
"I feel little reluctance in complying with your request. You know not fully the cause of my sorrows. You are a stranger to the depth of my distresses. Hence your efforts at consolation must necessarily fail. Yet the tale that I am going to tell is not intended as a claim upon your sympathy. In the midst of my despair, I do not disdain to contribute what little I can to the benefit of mankind. I acknowledge your right to be informed of the events that have lately happened in my family. Make what use of the tale you shall think proper. If it be communicated to the world, it will inculcate the duty of avoiding deceit. It will exemplify the force of early impressions, and show the immeasurable evils that flow from an erroneous or imperfect discipline."
Brockden Brown Society: http://www.brockdenbrownsociety.ucf.edu/brown/life.htm