Topic 46: The historical development of the United States of America: from the War of Independence to the Civil War. Novels of Reference: The Scarlet Letter, the Red Badge of Courage.

(Introduction) This unit aims to provide a useful introduction to the historical development of the United States from the War of Independence to the Civil War,

examining the link between the changing social, economic, political, cultural and technological conditions and the colonial literature of the nineteenth century in America.

(Introduction) This unit aims to provide a useful introduction to the historical development of the United States

from the War of Independence to the Civil War,

(Introduction) Two novels will be analysed:

1. Hawthorne’s the Scarlet Letter (1850), which reflects Puritan moral values

2. and Crane’s the Red Badge of Courage (1893), set during the Civil War (1861-1865).

(Introduction) Hawthorne’s the Scarlet Letter (1850),

which reflects Puritan moral values

(Introduction) Crane’s the Red Badge of Courage (1893),

set during the Civil War (1861-1865).

The War of Independence YEAR

1775-1783

The War of Independence is also called

the American Revolution.

The War of Independence was principally caused by

problems of taxation between the British government and its colonies in America.

As the American population had grown from about 200,000 colonists in 1700 to over 2.5 million in 1770,

the confrontation became very serious for the British, who were severely defeated and finally lost everything except Canada.

What population did America have in 1700?

200,000 colonists

What population did America have in 1770?

Over 2.5 million

(Origins of the War) English people in North America lived under the rule of the British Empire. This provided the colonies with

• a professional army

• and an administrative body,

  which ensured Americans some benefits including:

  • protection from enemies

  • and an administrative rule.

(Origins of the War) On the other hand, Americans were also

engaged in British conflicts with other European countries, especially with France.

(Origins of the War) Some important acts and treaties marked the evolution of the relationship between America and Britain:

• The Sugar Act (1764)

• The Stamp Act (1765)

• The Townshend Acts

• The Boston Massacre (1770)

• The Tea Act (the Boston Tea Party, 1773)

• Intolerable Acts (1774, George III)

• The First Continental Congress (colonists’ right for life, liberty and property)

(Origins of the War) The end of the Seven Year War between France and England led

to the imposition of some special taxes in America due to war debts.

What did the British Empire provide the colonies with?

A professional army and an administrative body

What did a professional army and an administrative body ensure American?

Some benefits including:

• Protection from enemies

• An administrative rule

In 1764, British Parliament passed the Sugar Act which

imposed a tax on Sugar into the American colonies and avoided colonial trade.

As a response of the Sugar Act, colonists

protested and considered this Act as a violation of their rights.

The following year (1765), British Parliament enacted the Stamp Act which

established the control over all the printed matter in America, the use of taxed stamps was required.

As a result of the Stamp Act (1765), people in the colonies started to organise themselves e.g. with the slogan:

“No taxation without representation.”

After the Stamp Act (1765), things went worse with new taxes on several products:

tea, paper and glass

The Townshend Acts which

imposed duties on imported goods.

After that, things went worse with new taxes on several products: tea, paper and glass; and

the Townshend Acts which imposed duties on imported goods.

Another element of discontent was the presence of the British Army, which led to many agitations, the worst being

the Boston Massacre in 1770, where five colonists were killed.

When did the Boston Massacre occurred?

1770

Later, the English Government approved the Tea Act in order to

create a monopoly of tea trade with America and protect the East India Company from bankruptcy.

Why did the English government approve the Tea Act?

• to create a monopoly of tea trade with America

• to protect the East India Company from bakruptcy

As a response, Colonists dumped 342 chests of tea into the sea in 1773, declaring that they would not pay tax on tea. This rebellion was well-known as

The Boston Tea Party.

The Boston Tea Party

Colonists dumped 342 chests of tea into the sea in 1773, declaring that they would not pay tax on tea.

As a consequence of the Boston Tea Party, George III decided to use force,

Intolerable Acts were passed in 1774, e.g. the Boston port was closed.

Intolerable Acts YEAR (George III)

1774

The Boston Tea Party YEAR

1773

(After Intolerable Acts) Representative from every colony met in Philadelphia and formed

the First Continental Congress.

In the First Continental Congress, colonies

prohibited the importation and consumption of British goods while the port was closed, and they declared colonists’ right for life, liberty and property.

Colonies declared colonists’ right for

• Life

• Liberty

• Property

The response of the British government to the First Continental Congress and their actions was

to suppress this rebellion by force, marking the beginning of the War of Independence (1775-1783).

On July 4^th, 1776, Thomas Jefferson proclaimed

the Declaration of Independence, inspired by the Enlightenment ideas.

The British lost the war and in 1783 the Treaty of Paris was signed,

establishing the end of the American Revolution and formally recognising the United States as an Independent Nation.

The British lost the war and in

1783

The Treaty of Paris was signed in 1783, establishing

• The end of the American Revolution

• and formally recognising the United States as an Independent Nation

(Consequences of War) The first consequence of the War of Independence (1775-1783) was

the establishment of a constitutional system in America.

(Consequences of War) Several documents were added to the original constitution such as

• Virginia Constitution

• The ten Amendments

• The Bill of Rights

(Consequences of War) The independence of the colonies modified

• Property law

• and criminal law.

(Consequences of War) Some abolitionists emerged such as

• G. Washington and T. Jefferson.

The Declaration of Independence provided

the ideological basis of the new American Republic.

The Federal Constitution was elaborated in

1787

The most famous names associated with ithe Federal Constitution (1787) were

1. George Washington

2. Thomas Jefferson

3. Alexander Hamilton

4. John Adams, etc.

Although the new constitution was concerned with the protection of individual rights,

it did not abolish slavery.

In the years 1820-1850, the South became distinct from the North because of

slavery and its differently based economy.

Differences between South and North

In the South, the industrial technology demanded more specialised unpaid workers, reinvigorating slavery whereas in the North, black slavery gradually disappeared, slaves became unprofitable and legal importation of African slaves into America ended when T. Jefferson abolished foreign slave trade.

In the South

the industrial technology demanded more specialised unpaid workers, reinvigorating slavery

In the North

black slavery gradually disappeared, slaves became unprofitable and legal importation of African slaves into America ended when T. Jefferson abolished foreign slave trade.

When did legal importation of African slaves into America end?

When T. Jefferson abolished foreign slave trade

In 1820, the congress admited new states to the Union: Missouri as a slave state and Maine as a free state, prohibiting slavery in parts of Louisiana, this was known as

the Missouri Compromise.

the Missouri Compromise (1820)

The congress admitted new states to the Union:

• Missouri as a slave state

• Maine as a free state

  Prohibiting slavery in parts of Louisiana

However, this period of tranquillity (after the Missouri Compromise) ended with the Kansas-Nebraska Act in 1854

by which residents would determine whether to establish slave or free states.

Kansas-Nebraska Act YEAR

1854

Which Act in 1854 intensified the national debate over slavery?

the Kansas-Nebraska Act

This act (the Kansas-Nebraska Act)

intensified the national debate over slavery and the Republican party was created in opposition of slavery. This eventually led to the Civil War

The Republican party was created

in opposition of slavery

The Civil War YEAR

1861-1865

In the election of 1860,

Abraham Lincoln, a member of the Republican party who was against slavery, was elected president.

His victory (Abraham Lincoln as President) provoked a crisis

with many southerners who feared that he would attempt to abolish slavery in the South.

Consequently (to the fear of Abraham Lincoln abolishing slavery in the South), several southern states left the Union

to form the Confederate States of America with Jefferson Davis as president.

Who was the president of the Confederate States of America?

Jefferson Davis

In 1863, Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation

which freed all slaves in areas still under Confederate control.

What did the Emancipation Proclamation do (1863)?

It freed all slaves in areas still under Confederate control

The civil war became a lost cause after

the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863 although it continued until 1865, when the general Lee and his army were forced to surrender in Virginia.

When did the civil war (1861-1865) become a lost cause?

After the Battle of Gettysburg in 1863

The civil War continued until 1865,

when General Lee and his army were forced to surrender in Virginia

Less than a week later of the surrender of the general Lee and his army in Virginia,

Lincoln was shot by a strong supporter of the COnfederacy while attending a performance at a Theatre in Washington DC.

Nathaniel Hawthorne YEARS

1804-1864

Stephen Crane YEARS

1871-1900

Nathaniel Hawthorne, born in Salem, Massachusetts,

worked at salem’s custom house for three years.

Many of Hawthorne’s stories are set in puritan New England,

his greatest novel the Scarlett letter is a classic portrayal of Puritan America.

The Scarlet Letter YEAR

1850

The Red Badge of Courage YEAR

1895

One of Hawthorne’s ancestors had been a judge in an earlier century,

during trials in Salem of women accused of being witches, this played a significant role in shaping his themes as a writer.

What shaped Hawthorne’s themes as a writer?

One of his ancestors had been a judge in an earlier century, during trials in Salem of women accused of being witches.

What are recurring concerns of Hawthorne’s works?

Sin and guilt

Sin and guilt are

recurring concerns of Hawthorne’s works

Hawthorne had a tragic vision of life, Hester, the protagonist of the novel,

is a person alienated from society for having broken social rules.

The Scarlet letter was one of

the first mass-produced books in America. It was popular when first published and is considered a classic work today.

The Scarlet letter has inspired numerous film, television and stage adaptations.

E.g. “Easy A” (2010).

The style of the novel (The Scarlet Letter) is

classic, direct and clear.

The Scarlet Letter is set in Puritan Boston, Massachusetts in the 17^th century, the novel

tells the story of Hester, a woman who conceives a daughter through an affair and then struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity.

The Scarlett letter used a lot of symbols through the use of objects.

For instance, the Scarlett letter “A” which is the most noticeable one

the Scarlet letter “A” is

embroidered on Hester’s dress when she committed adultery.

The meaning of the Scarlett letter “A” changes throughout the novel,

• It begins as a symbol of adultery

• it becomes a symbol of isolation

• and finally it becomes a symbol of admiration.

Hester ends up

being admirable amongst the people in the town.

Other elements with symbolism are

• The Scaffold

• The forest

• and the meteor (tracing a red “A”).

The novel attacks Calvinist society by highlighting the contrast between

the law of nature and man-made law,

e.g., the forest, where Hester and Dimmesdale meet, is a source of temptation for the Calvinist.

For the Puritans,

human nature is fixed from birth.

For the Puritans, human nature is fixed from birth. However, Hawthorne offers a different perspective,

he believes in redemption. The letter A serves as proof that something negative can be converted into a thing of beauty.

Although Stephen Crane died at the age of 28, he is considered as one of the best US novelists of the 19^th century.

He was a pioneer in the naturalistic movement of American fiction.

Stephen Crane was born in New Jersey,

he worked as a reporter for the New York Tribune, at the age of twenty-one, he published his first novel Maggie: a Girl of the Streets under a pseudonym.

What was Crane job before becoming a novelist?

He worked as a reporter for the New York Tribune

Which was the first novel of Stephen Crane?

Maggie: a Girl of the Streets (1893)

Maggie: a Girl of the Streets PLOT

This novel is about a young girl who is driven to unfortunate circumstances by poverty and solitude.