unit two: revolutionary period
TRANSCRIPT
UNIT TWO: REVOLUTIONARY PERIOD
(A.K.A. AGE OF REASON & AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT)
AS A QUICK REVIEW, I LIKE TO ATTACH IMAGES (FOR VISUAL LEARNERS) TO THE DIFFERENT TIME PERIODS TO HELP YOU
REMEMBER MAJOR DETAILS FOR EACH ONE.
NATIVE AMERICAN LITERATURE
COLONIALISM
AGE OF REASON
A NATION IS BORN:
REVOLUTIONARY AMERICA
Beliefs of the Revolutionary Period:
• had little interest in the “hereafter”
• valued reason over faith
• believed in the power of reason and science to
further human progress
• saw the basis of government as a social contract
• viewed people as basically good, not evil
Great upheavals in history occur when circumstances are ripe; people want
CHANGE.
UNIT TWO’S THEME:
THERE ARE TIMES WHEN
QUESTIONING THOSE IN
AUTHORITY BECOMES
NECESSARY.
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND:
SETTING THE STAGE FOR WAR
WATCH THE UPCOMING VIDEO. PAY ATTENTION TO THE INFORMATION
ABOUT . . .
King George III and
Parliament impose a
series of taxes and
regulations to pay off their
debt from the French and
Indian War.
The Colonists protest
the unfair treatment
and taxes.
(Boston Tea Party)
First Continental
Congress Meets
(1774)
“THE PRICE OF INDEPENDENCE”
WATCH THIS VIDEO.THE PRICE OF INDEPENDENCE
THE SECOND CONTINENTAL CONGRESS MEETS AND ADOPTS THE DECLARATION
OF INDEPENDENCE (1776)
The War Ends --
General
Cornwallis
surrenders to
Washington
(1781)
Literature of thePeriod
•writing in this time
period is very
public and
political in
nature
• nearly 30 newspapers
• almost 40 magazines
•Political
Writing
examples:
•speeches
•documents
•pamphlets
POETRY• Philip Freneau
• America’s earliest
important lyric poet
• Phillis Wheatley
• America’s first African-
American poet
PHILLIS WHEATLEY
SHE WAS THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN,
THE FIRST SLAVE, AND THE THIRD WOMAN IN THE U.S. TO PUBLISH A
BOOK OF POEMS.
Other writings of the time…
•No American novels or plays of
importance have been written yet
•The modern short story has yet to be
invented
GET OUT A SHEET OF PAPER
FOR TODAY”S ASSIGNMENT