Early American Literature: Puritans, Revolutionary Era, and Romanticism

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering literary figures, foundational concepts, revolutionary milestones, and gothic conventions from early American literature.

Of Plymouth Plantation

An early historical account by William Bradford covering the Pilgrims' time in Holland, the Mayflower voyage, their first harsh winter, relations with Native Americans, and the development of the colony.

William Bradford

Governor of the Plymouth colony for 30 years who wrote to document God's providence, preserve history for future generations, and provide a truthful account of colonial struggles.

"Upon the Burning of Our House"

A poem by Anne Bradstreet written in rhyming couplets and inverted word order, focusing on pious themes, providential view, domestic imagery, and choosing love over materialism.

Conceit

An elaborate metaphor or other figure of speech that compares two things that are extremely different from each other.

"Dividing Line"

A work by William Byrd documenting a mission to observe the new world through hot, humid conditions, heavy luggage, and bogs, undertaken with joy, excitement, and pride.

Jonathan Edwards

A Massachusetts pastor during the Great Awakening who observed early religious revivals and preached "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God."

Sarah Kible Knight

A traveler whose diary records her journeys guided by post riders, her fear of drowning when crossing rivers by moonlight, and her observations of community bonding over meals.

Providential View

The belief that God actively controls, sustains, and guides human events to fulfill His divine plans.

Royal Proclamation of 1763

A decree by King George that banned American colonists from settling or moving past the Appalachian mountains.

Stamp Act (1765)

A direct tax imposed by the British Parliament on paper goods in the American colonies.

Boston Massacre (1770)

A confrontation in which British soldiers fired into an angry crowd of colonists, resulting in the deaths of 5 people.

Boston Tea Party (1773)

A colonial protest against a new tea tax in which the Sons of Liberty dressed as Native Americans and dumped tea into Boston Harbor.

Townshend Act (1767)

British legislation that placed taxes on everyday goods imported into the colonies.

Intolerable Acts (1777)

British punitive measures against Massachusetts for the Boston Tea Party that closed the harbor, banned public meetings, and forced colonists to house soldiers.

Lexington and Concord (1776)

The site where British troops marched to seize colonial weapons stored near Boston, sparking the "shot heard around the world."

Deism

The Enlightenment belief that people can understand the world and guide their lives by reason, holding that the universe operates without divine intervention.

Aphorism

A brief statement that expresses a truth about life in a terse, easily remembered form, used to emphasize a point or summarize an argument.

Benjamin Franklin

An American figure who symbolized the American Dream, invented bifocals and the glass harmonica, authored Poor Richard's Almanack, and enlisted French support during the Revolution.

Patrick Henry

A Virginia lawyer and orator in the House of Burgesses known for his "give me liberty or give me death" speech that helped urge military action.

Thomas Paine

An author who wrote the Common Sense pamphlet and The Age of Reason, identified with ordinary colonists, and engaged in radical French politics.

Crevoceur

French author of Letters from an American Farmer who introduced Europeans to life on the American frontier and helped coin the idea of America as a "melting pot."

Romanticism

A movement reacting against Rationalism by emphasizing human emotion, intuition, instinct, and experience over cold logic, balance, and common sense.

Archetype

An original model, prototype, or classic example from which other similar things, patterns, or ideas are copied.

Thanatopsis

A poem by William Cullen Bryant that helped launch the Romantic Movement through a conversational meditation on death, equality in the grave, and nature's communion.

Dark Romanticism

A movement exemplified by Edgar Allen Poe exploring psychological and physiological decay, dread, and horror in works like "The Raven" and "The Fall of the House of Usher."

Gothic Element: Foreboding

A literary device involving ominous omens, unlucky signs, and dark forces beyond human control that thwart ambitions.

Gothic Element: Decay

The thematic breakdown of a formerly great family, community, nation, individual, or landscape.

Gothic Element: Damsels in Distress

A convention where female characters are threatened by circumstances, appear frightened, and suffer from ailments or affliction.