Encounters and Foundations to 1800

1
Encounters and Foundations to 1800

• Literature from the Native American and European
  Arrival, Colonial Period
• The Age of Reason

2
New Relationships

• European arrival began to establish colonies
• Curiosity developed between English and American
  Indians
• Europeans relied on Indians to teach them
  survival skills
• Indians acquired firearms, textiles, and steel
  tools from the Europeans
• At first, the Indians outnumbered the colonists.
• 1600 Indian pop. in New England
  70,000-100,000

3
Disease

• Arrival of European settlers brought disease to
  New England.
• Had a deadly impact on Indians
• Indians had crossed the land bridge from Asia to
  N. America / compared to the diseases that had
  taken Europe over the centuries
• Indians had no immunity
• Smallpox could kill off an entire village
• Some Native Americans managed to survive
  epidemics.
• Howeverthey were forced to vacate their land
  eventually. (Europeans no longer needed them for
  survival).

4
Explorers Writings

• First writings of European observations were
  recorded in Spanish and French by explorers of
  the 15th and 16th century.
• Columbus, Coronado, etc. describe the Americas in
  letters, journals, and books.
• In hopes of receiving funding for further
  expeditions, they emphasize the Americas
  abundant resources, peacefulness and hospitality
  of inhabitants, and promise of wealth.

5
Puritans

• Puritan broad term, referring to a number of
  Protestant groups that sought to purify the
  Church of England (beginning around 1560).
• The Church of England had been inseparable from
  the countrys government since the reign of Henry
  VIII (1509-1547).
• Puritans wished to return to simpler forms of
  worship and church organization.
• For them, religion was a personal, inner
  experience.
• They did not believe the clergy/government should
  or could act as an intermediary between the
  individual and God.
• Many suffered persecution in England.
• Fled England for Holland, but a small group
  feared that they would lose their identity as
  English Protestants.
• They set sail for the New World, hoping to build
  a new society patterned after Gods word.

6
Puritan Beliefs

• An uneasy mixture of certainty and doubt
• Certainty Adam and Eves sin of disobedience
  would cause most of humanity to be damned for all
  eternity
• Certainty God had sent his son, Jesus Christ,
  to earth to save particular people
• Doubt centered around whether a particular
  individual was one of the saved (elect) or one
  of the damned (unregenerate)

7
Saved or Damned???

• For a theology that was so clear-cut in its
  division of the world between saints and sinners,
  it was fuzzy when it came to determining which
  was which.
• 1.) You were saved by the grace of God (and you
  could feel this grace arriving in an intensely
  emotional fashion).
• 2.) The inner arrival of Gods grace was
  demonstrated by your outward behavior.
• After receiving Gods grace, you were reborn
  as a member of the saints, and you behaved like a
  saint. People hoping to be among this group,
  examined their lives closely for signs of grace
  and tried to live good lives.

8
Puritan Government

• In the Puritan view a covenant, or contract,
  existed between God and humanity.
• Their covenant with God enjoined them to create a
  society governed by the Bible, in which everyone
  worked together for the common good.
• Puritans believed that people should enter freely
  into agreements concerning their government.
• However, because the Puritans believed the
  saintly elect should have a strong influence on
  government, their political views tended to be
  undemocratic.
• Little room for compromise.

9
The Age of Reason

• End of the 17th century new ideas
• AKA The Enlightenment
• Philosophers / Scientists called themselves
  rationalists
• Rationalism belief that human beings can arrive
  at truth by using reason, rather than by relying
  on the authority of the past, on religious faith,
  or on intuition
• Puritans vs. Rationalists
• Puritans saw God as actively and mysteriously
  involved in the workings of the universe
• Rationalists saw God differently - and
  believed that Gods special gift to humanity is
  reason (the ability to think in an ordered,
  logical manner). Use reason instead of faith.

10
Age of Reason Literature

• Rooted in reality
• Age of pamphlets (most literature was intended to
  serve a practical or political purpose)
• Masterpiece of the Age of Reason
• The Autobiography by Benjamin Franklin
• Used autobiographical narrative (Puritan form),
  but omitted its religious justification
• Appears in The Great Gatsby

11
Overview Contrasting Literary Periods

• Puritans
• Believed the world was fallen
• People were sinners who could ONLY be redeemed
  through the grace of God.

• Rationalists
• Believed that the universe was basically good
• Doing good for others was the best way to worship
  God

12
Assignment

• Writing Assignment Which statement best fits our
  current society? Explain and/or justify your
  answer fully in one paragraph. Due tomorrow.
• The world is going down hill (it has fallen),
  and people are basically untrustworthy.
• The world is getting better. Social welfare
  programs (doing good for others) are keys to
  progress.
• Reading Assignment Read from A Narrative of the
  Captivity on pg. 37-42. Due tomorrow.