1600s-1700s
*Early writings promoted the benefits of colonization to both Europeans and to the colonies themselves; authors included John Smith and William Penn
*Religious issues and the Great Awakening provided material for written works by John Winthrop, Edward Winslow, Roger williams, Jonathon Edwards, and George Whitefield
*The political issues of revolution influenced writing in the mid-1700s, including works by Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Paine
*Post-war writings such as The Federalist Papers explored the system of American values and governmental structure
*The first American novel, published in 1789, was William Hill Brown's The Power of Sympathy
*Art copied European styles but featured portraits of important Americans; famous artists included John Trumbull, Charles Peale, Benjamin West, and John Copley
*Gilbert Stuart painted the portrait of George Washington that is now on the one-dollar bill