The Enlightenment period is one of great importance to the understanding of the American Identity. Authors such as William Bryd, Benjamin Franklin, J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur and Royall Tyler all were vital to creation of the new American identity formed during the enlightenment period. It is imperative that these authors and their works remain part of the education of the American student so that they can properly understand what has shaped the world they know.
As you may know, early American Literature can often be seen as outdated, hard to understand and irrelevant to the people of today. But in actuality these works are so much more than that. Just look at William Byrd’s diary; it wasn’t even meant to be published but through reading it you can see evidence of how the American Identity is changing. What makes this piece so interesting, despite having been written in the early 1700s, is that Byrd recounts the little ways in which he begins to reject the old American ideologies and demonstrates how the ideas of the Enlightenment are beginning to make their way into the American minds. In this diary you will read of how Byrd begins to skip saying his prayers (something that would cause someone not influenced by the Enlightenment a great deal of inner torment and guilt) and of how he actively pursues what will make him happy in life. While this piece may not be the easiest to read, it is very important to the understanding of how the American Identity, as we know it today, began.
Another text that comes from this same period of Enlightenment that some would argue unnecessary for an understanding of the Enlightenment is Benjamin Franklin’s “Information to Those Who Would Remove to America.” This piece however is both important to understanding this time period and an interesting piece of literature. What this work does is outline exactly what the people of America did not want in their country. Benjamin lists quite a number of people including anyone who expects a comfy government position, or anyone who expects their status in Europe to allow them an easy lifestyle in America. This makes it’s a very interesting piece to read because it consists of Franklin essentially telling the European people that American doesn’t want their nobility while simultaneously outlining the values of the American people. Therefore this piece of literature is invaluable to understanding the founding of American values and how these values were a product of the Enlightenment.
J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur’s “Letters from an American Farmer” is his explanation of the benefits of the new American Society. Crevecoeur does a great job of demonstrating how the American merit- based society is superior to the hierarchy of the European societies. His listing and explanation of how ideas like the separation of church and state, the ability to own your own land, and religious freedom reveals the values of the American people at the time.
“The Contrast” written by Royall Tyler is another important piece when trying to understand the Enlightenment period. Not only is this the first American play, making it a groundbreaking piece within itself, this play sums up the new identity of the American people while also creating an interesting story for the audience. As the name suggests this play contrasts the certain characteristics that are considered to be “American” with more negative characteristics that are attributed to European influences. These characteristics are found in different characters in the play, with the “American” found in the heroes of the play and the negative, European, characteristics found in the less desirable characters. This play is crucial to the understanding of the new American Identity that was a product of this time period.
As you may know, early American Literature can often be seen as outdated, hard to understand and irrelevant to the people of today. But in actuality these works are so much more than that. Just look at William Byrd’s diary; it wasn’t even meant to be published but through reading it you can see evidence of how the American Identity is changing. What makes this piece so interesting, despite having been written in the early 1700s, is that Byrd recounts the little ways in which he begins to reject the old American ideologies and demonstrates how the ideas of the Enlightenment are beginning to make their way into the American minds. In this diary you will read of how Byrd begins to skip saying his prayers (something that would cause someone not influenced by the Enlightenment a great deal of inner torment and guilt) and of how he actively pursues what will make him happy in life. While this piece may not be the easiest to read, it is very important to the understanding of how the American Identity, as we know it today, began.
Another text that comes from this same period of Enlightenment that some would argue unnecessary for an understanding of the Enlightenment is Benjamin Franklin’s “Information to Those Who Would Remove to America.” This piece however is both important to understanding this time period and an interesting piece of literature. What this work does is outline exactly what the people of America did not want in their country. Benjamin lists quite a number of people including anyone who expects a comfy government position, or anyone who expects their status in Europe to allow them an easy lifestyle in America. This makes it’s a very interesting piece to read because it consists of Franklin essentially telling the European people that American doesn’t want their nobility while simultaneously outlining the values of the American people. Therefore this piece of literature is invaluable to understanding the founding of American values and how these values were a product of the Enlightenment.
J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur’s “Letters from an American Farmer” is his explanation of the benefits of the new American Society. Crevecoeur does a great job of demonstrating how the American merit- based society is superior to the hierarchy of the European societies. His listing and explanation of how ideas like the separation of church and state, the ability to own your own land, and religious freedom reveals the values of the American people at the time.
“The Contrast” written by Royall Tyler is another important piece when trying to understand the Enlightenment period. Not only is this the first American play, making it a groundbreaking piece within itself, this play sums up the new identity of the American people while also creating an interesting story for the audience. As the name suggests this play contrasts the certain characteristics that are considered to be “American” with more negative characteristics that are attributed to European influences. These characteristics are found in different characters in the play, with the “American” found in the heroes of the play and the negative, European, characteristics found in the less desirable characters. This play is crucial to the understanding of the new American Identity that was a product of this time period.