The Colonial Period (1620-1750)

(1490-1558) *Bio:* Spanish priest, copied Columbus's diary and wrote a summary of it. Opposed the mistreatment of the Native Americans and proposed importing Africans as slaves instead. Often characterized by modern historians as the "Defender and Apostle to the Indians *Style:* Marked by emotionally charged language and often exaggerated statistics. *Works:* Summary of Columbus's diary "Historia de las Indias" ("History of the Indies") "A Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies" (most famous work)

(c. 1490-1558) *Bio:* Spanish explorer and chronicler. Continued exploration after the Narvaes expedition, eventually landing in Texas where he was imprisoned and enslaved by local Indian tribes. After that, he spent many years in Mexico (and parts that are now the U.S.). Eventually, returned to Because of "creative differences" with other explorers and politicians, he was exiled in Algeria in 1551. *Major Work:* "The Relation [or Narrative] of Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca"

(1492-1584) *Bio:* Conquistador. Wrote an eyewitness account of Cortez' conquest of Mexico. Claims to have participated in the fall of the Aztec Empire in 1521. *Work:* "Historia verdadera de la conquista de la Nueva España" (English: "The True History of the Conquest of New Spain")

(c. 1575 or 1579-1647) *Bio:* American adventurer, trader, lawyer, and travel writer. One of the most colorful and controversial figures in colonial American history. Trained as a lawyer at Clifford's Inn in London and practiced as an attorney in the West Country. In 1624 Morton set sail for the New World aboard the "Unity." Landed in Quincy Bay in Massachusetts in the spring of 1624. Morton and his companions set up a plantation and fur-trading post at the site they called Mount Wollaston. The name of the settlement was changed to Ma-re-Mount by the inhabitants, and was also known as Merry Mount or Merrymount because of the merrymaking or reveling that took place there. He got in huge trouble with the Puritans for erecting a maypole at the plantation and inviting people (both Indians and settlers, men and women) to dance around it. In the spring of 1628 the Puritans of Plymouth and other nearby plantations charged Morton with selling guns to the Indians and creating various disturbances. He was arrested by Miles Standish and after a brief trial was transported back to England. He was tried and acquitted in England and returned to Ma-re-Mount in 1629, but got into a feud over who claimed control of the trading territory, and was arrested and shipped back to England the next year. He wrote New English Canaan while in exile in England, in some measure as part of his campaign against the Massachusetts Bay Company. Returned again to New England, was again arrested and charged w/ agitating against the Massachusetts Bay Company. Spent a year in jail in Boston, was released and died in 1647. *Style:* Varied, see work. *Work:* "New English Canaan"

(1580-1631) *Bio*: Born in Willoughby, England. Worked on family farm until around 15. As a soldier, fought in the Netherlands to help the Dutch secure their independence from Spain's Philip II. Joined the Austrian army in 1605. Joined the Virginia Company and landed in Virginia in 1607. Became a councilman, and later the president or governor of Jamestown. Wrote his own narrative about Pocahontas. Scholars argue about it. *Style:* Older English, different spellings. Embellished stories. *Works*: "A Map of Virginia, with a Description of the Country" "A Description of New England" "New England's Trial's" "The True Travels, Adventures, and Observations of Captain John Smith, IN Europe, Asia, Africa, and America" *Major - *"The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles" "A True Relation of Such Occurrences and Accidents of Note as Hath Happened in Virginia"

(1588-1649) *Bio:* Raised on a prosperous farm in Groton, England. Educated at Cambridge University and later studied to become a lawyer. While at Cambridge, he was heavily influenced by the Puritan beliefs held by many students. Joined the Massachusetts Bay Company. In 1629, the company obtained a charter that would allow them to establish a colony in America based on Puritan ideals and theology. He was elected governor in the same year, and sailed to New England in 1630 (the Great Migration) upon the "Arabella." "Citty upon a hill" was his vision for the colony. Style: Sermons, spelling was different, Major Work: "A Modell of Christian Charity"

(1590-1657) *Bio:* Influenced by nonconformist preaching as a boy, joined the separatists in 1606. Went to the Netherlands in 1609 to live w/ the separatist community. Went to Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1620. Named governor of the Plymouth colony in 1621 and established himself as the primary authority of the colony. (Reelected 30 times.) Wrote major work over a period of twenty years. *Style:* Prose in what is called plain style. Written for general readership, using common language and sentence structure to enable the common reader to easily understand the narrative. *Major Work:* "Of Plimoth Plantation"

(c. 1603-1683) *Bio:* Born in England, went to Boston in 1631. Refused to associate himself w/ the Anglican Puritans. Invited by the church at Salem to become pastor in 1634, Williams was banished from Massachusetts Bay by the civil authorities for his dangerous views. Consequently, in January 1636 Williams set out for Narragansett Bay, and in the spring, on land purchased from the Narragansett Indians,he founded the town of Providence and the colony of Rhode Island. Was the colony's first president under its charter. Providence became a haven for Anabaptists, Quakers, and others whose beliefs were denied public expression. Williams was briefly an Anabaptist but in 1639 declared himself a Seeker. He remained a steadfast believer in Calvinist theology. *Style:* Wrote in the form of a dialogue in main work. *Major Work:* The Bloudy Tenent of Persecution

(c. 1612-1672) *Bio:* Educated, well-to-do. Traveled on the flagship "Arabella" with her father and husband. Had a rough life in America. Raised eight children. Her first published book of poetry was the first published poetry book in the English colonies. *Themes:* Wrote about her family as well as her keen observations of the natural world, her understanding of science, history, theology, and philosophy, as well as her sophisticated opinions of gender matters and the fears that accompany colonial life. *Style:* Poems of spiritual meditation and reflection. Depictions of New England life. Not meant for publication. Tone when discussing her family and domestic matters was more confident and assertive. Definitely Christian influenced. (probably definitely a Christian) *Major Works:* Poetry of Anne Bradstreet - "The Prologue" "The Author to Her Book" (preface to her 2nd collection published after she died) "Before the Birth of One of Her Children" "To My Dear and Loving Husband" "To My Dear Children" "Here Follows Some Verses upon the Burning of Our House" "The Flesh and the Spirit" Collections of Poetry - "The Tenth Muse" (First collection, published by brother-in-law) "Several Poems Compiled with Great Variety of Wit and Learning - 1678"

(c. 1636-1711) *Bio:* Minister's wife in Lancaster, Massachusetts. Taken captive by a group of Wampanoag Indians during King Philip's War (which began in 1675) on Feb. 20, 1676, and was not released for 11 weeks. Scholars claim that she moved to Connecticut where her husband died and she married Captain Samuel Talcott. Then later, she returned to Lancaster where she began writing her account of her captivity. *Style:* Captivity narrative. Her narrative is organized into removes, or episodes. *Major Work:* "A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mary Rowlandson" (also called "The Sovereignty and Goodness of God")

(c. 1642-1729) *Bio:* Known as the finest Puritan poet. Immigrated to America in 1668 from England b/c he would not sign an oath of loyalty to the Church of England. As a Puritan, he found his home, first at Harvard, where he studied for several years. Then, he took a pastoral call in Westfield, Massachusetts. He stayed there his whole life, raised a family, married twice, and remained minister to that small congregation. *Style:* Poetry is marked by conceits. Influenced other poets who picked up on that. Most of his poetry was fashioned after the popular British poems published in the seventeenth century: lyrics, elegies, long narratives. However, he is most noted for his poems written in preparation for particular religious services collected as.... *Major Work:* "Preparatory Meditations" Other- "Huswifery"

(1652-1730) *Bio:* Born in Bishopstoke, Hampshire, England. Colonial merchant and a judge in the Salem witchcraft trials, best remembered for his Diary (Massachusetts Historical Society; 3 vol., 1878-82), which provides a rewarding insight into the mind and life of the late New England Puritan. A graduate of Harvard College (1671), Sewall began his public career in 1679, when he was made a "freeman"—a landowner with the right to participate in the government of the colony. He was manager of the colonial printing press (1681-84), member of the Council (1684-1725), and chief justice of the Superior Court (1718-28). He was also a commissioner of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in New England, an overseer of Harvard College, and captain of the Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company. In 1692 he was named by Gov. William Phips as one of the special commissioners appointed to try the Salem witchcraft cases, in which 19 persons were condemned to death. Sewall was the only judge to admit the error of these decisions, standing silently in the Old South Church in Boston in 1697 while his confession of error and guilt was read aloud. *Style:*Of a traditional Puritan style. His work often concentrated on religion, politics, business life, and good living. But unlike Puritans of his time Sewall's many writings addressed specific concerns about the rights of Native Americans and of African-Americans brought as slaves to the colonies. Sewall's work as an author had a positive result on early American society, and made a difference in contemporary views of the time. Ultimately, Samuel Sewall got American Culture thinking more critically about slavery, and he contributed to American Culture an insightful full picture of a Puritan man and his society. *Works:* "The Selling of Joseph" ( the first Puritan anti-slaveholding tract) "A Memorial Relating to the Kennebeck Indians" (an argument for humane treatment of Indians) *Major:* "Diary"(Massachusetts Historical Society; 3 vol., 1878-82)

(1663-1728) *Bio:*As the descendant of prominent Puritans, Mather found himself the heir apparent of American Congregationalism during the last decades of the Puritan hold in New England. Known for his major work and for his involvement in the Salem Witch Trials. Accused of not using his great authority to speak out against the injustices toward innocent people. Was the scribe for the trials. Wrote 450 books. *Style:* didactic, moralistic, and filled with references to the Bible. It also reveals information on the history and society of his time, especially that attitude toward witches. *Works:* "The Wonders of the Invisible World" "The Trial of Martha Carrier" (Section of the above) Major Work - "Magnalia Christi Americana" ("a history of the wonderful works of Christ in America")

(1703-1758) *Bio:* Part of the second generation of Puritans. He has ideological and theological connections with Winthrop, Mather, and Taylor. However, one of the primary contrasts between Edwards and previous Puritan preachers was the prominence of the Enlightenment at the beginning of the 18th century. (Emphasis on the human mind as a more important tool for understanding the universe than the human soul. Graduated from Yale. Became an ordained minister of Northampton, Massachusetts. There he published many of his sermons to high acclaim, later collected in two collections. Inextricably connected with the Great Awakening (mid-1730s and 1740s). During this time, he published his most famous sermon. Eventually, was dismissed from his position. For a short while he was a missionary to the Indians in western Massachusetts, and then became president of Princeton. Died of smallpox three months later. *Style:* Sermons, spiritual autobiography, other *Works:* "Some Thoughts Concerning the Present Revival of Religion in New-England, and the Way in Which It Ought to Be Acknowledged and Prompted" "Personal Narrative" Collections of sermons - "A Faithful Narrative of the Surprising Works of God in the Conversion of Many Hundred Souls in Northampton and Neighboring Towns" "Discourses on Various Important Subjects" *Major* - "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God"