CLEP American Literature Study Guide

*Wished to return to more primitive principles, to simplicity, sobriety, religious earnestness, and personal self-control. *Aim was to purify church of England from "Popery" *Persecuted harshly by Charles I and Archbishop of Canterbury William Laud. *Established a Theocracy in the New World. *Believed education was a religious duty and founded schools, colleges and established printing presses. Correct Answer-Puritans (Saints, Separatists) (Colonial Period) 1.) God is King and Ruler. 2.) Our duty in this world is to see that God's will prevails. 3.) Man is depraved from birth. 4.)Few will be saved. Damned are damned despite their best efforts. *Belief in Covenant Theology : God's covenant with Abraham guarantees our ability to win God's favor through moral struggle. Correct Answer-Calvinism (Colonial Period) *First writer of American Literature. * Wrote "The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England, and The Summer Isles." *Archetypal American. Correct Answer-John Smith (Colonial Period) *Wrote Of Plymouth Plantation (First Thanksgiving) *Chronicled the Pilgrim experience from the religious considerations that caused them to leave England for Holland and then for America. *Used the language of the King James Bible to record the transatlantic voyage, Satan's influence and survival struggles of the Separatists, and the heresy of Roger Williams. * Style is dignified and Grave, and events are vividly rendered. *Considered an excellent history book as well as a literary masterpiece Correct Answer-William Bradford (Colonial Period) *Began "The History of New England" aboard the Arbella in 1630. *Lead 2,000 English emigrant to Massachusetts Bay. * Made daily journal-style entries until his death. Intended it to be an account of his long governorship. *Style is plain and lucid, neutral and non-judgmental. *Set forth heresies of Roger Williams and Anne Hutchinson and their expulsion to Rhode Island. *Acquittal of misfeasance becomes a lesson on the distinction between natural liberty and liberty under law. Correct Answer-John Winthrop (Colonial Period) *Stands in direct opposition to the principles, personalities and literary styles of William Bradford and John Winthrop. *Did not come to settle the land and establish God's Kingdom, but to trade beaver pelts and live pleasantly. *Established Merry Mount, not far from Plymouth, and erected a giant Maypole. *Wrote "The English Canaan" as an account of his experiences in the New World. -Written in a jocular, rollicking style; highly ornamented with rhetorical flourishes, and heavily larded with cl Correct Answer-Thomas Morton (Colonial Period) *One of colonial New England's most eminent clergyman. *Last of the "pure" puritans. *Strove to restore moral fervor to the Puritan Community. *Greatest achievement was as an historian of the Puritan experience. *Largest library in America (btw 7 &8 thousand books) *Wrote 450 Books including : - "Magnalia Christi Americana ("The Great Works of Christ in America") : History of New England colonies, excellent short bios of the great founders. - "Wonders of the Invisible World" : written to justi Correct Answer-Cotton Mather (Colonial Period) *Only person to publicly repent his part in the Salem Witch Trials. * Published America's first anti-slavery tract. *Best known for his private diaries. Published in 3 volumes as "The Diary of Samuel Sewall". - "Diary" : Candid and humorous recordings of daily life. - "The Selling of Joseph" : urged the end of slavery, saying, "It is most certain that all men, as they are sons of Adam, are coheirs; and have equal rights unto liberty." Correct Answer-Samuel Sewall (Colonial Period) *Best-known Southern colonial writer. *Church of England Virginia Aristocrat. *Famous for "The History of the Dividing Line" and "The Secret Diary of William Byrd of Westover" - "The History of the Dividing Line" : Vividly describes terrain and shrewdly observes the white settlers on its fringes during an expedition to survey the Great Dismal Swamp between Virginia and North Carolina. - "Diary" : Recorded his daily life in a private shorthand. Speaks in a neutral tone, but frequently with live Correct Answer-William Byrd (Colonial Period) *One of the most brilliant of American thinkers. *Theologian and philosopher; vigorous defender of Calvinistic orthodoxy at the end of the Puritan era. *Influenced major nineteenth century writers such as Emerson, Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman. *Discourses written in sermon form using scriptural text, doctrine, reasons and usage (applications to life). * Arguments are densely textured, inexorable in its onward thrust, and plain in style. *Often uses syllogisms to develop its careful analysis. Correct Answer-Jonathan Edwards (Colonial Period)