The Colonial Period covers a time period beginning with the foundation of the colonies, the first being Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607, and ends with the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Thirteen British colonies were established and could be divided into three geographic areas: New England, Middle, and Southern. Each colony had specific economic, social, and political developments that were unique to the regions. However, all colonies were governed by the British and there was little diviation from European literary styles until the early Americans began to become their owe people.
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American Religious Poems by
"No more profound and intimate expression of America's spiritual life can be found than the work of its poets. From Anne Bradstreet to the beats, from Native American chant and Shaker hymnody to Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, religion and spirituality have always been central to American poetry. In this unique anthology, world-renowned scholar Harold Bloom weaves a tapestry from the many strands of American religious experience and practice: the searching meditations of Puritan pioneers, the evangelical fervor of the Great Awakenings, the mystical currents of transcendentalism, the diverse influences of the world religions that have taken root in modern America." "Spanning four centuries and more than 200 poets, American Religious Poems is a bountiful and moving gathering of voices that offers countless moments of inspiration, solace, meditation, and transcendence. The poems in this unprecedented volume are a lasting testimony to the American spirit and its unremitting quest for ultimate truth and meaning."
The Colonizers by
The In Their Own Words books have been praised as "illuminating and engaging" (Robert M. Utley, author of The Lance and the Shield), and "stimulating and valuable" (James M. McPherson, bestselling author of Battle Cry of Freedom). The latest addition to this series, which blends original-source documents with compelling narrative, covers the fascinating era of European settlement. From Bacon's Rebellion to the Salem witch trials, from the holocaust of the Hurons to the capture of Quebec, a century and a half of tumultuous history unfolds here through the words of those who lived it.
Authority and Female Authorship in Colonial America by
Should women concern themselves with reading other than the Bible? Should women attempt to write at all? Did these activities violate the hierarchy of the universe and men's and women's places in it? Colonial American women relied on the same authorities and traditions as did colonial men, but they encountered special difficulties validating themselves in writing. William Scheick explores logonomic conflict in the works of northeastern colonial women, whose writings often register anxiety not typical of their male contemporaries. This study features the poetry of Mary English and Anne Bradstreet, the letter-journals of Esther Edwards Burr and Sarah Prince, the autobiographical prose of Elizabeth Hanson and Elizabeth Ashbridge, and the political verse of Phyllis Wheatley. These works, along with the writings of other colonial women, provide especially noteworthy instances of bifurcations emanating from American colonial women's conflicted confiscation of male authority. Scheick reveals subtle authorial uneasiness and subtextual tensions caused by the attempt to draw legitimacy from male authorities and traditions.