Puritans vs. Transcendalists - Early American Literature
Prevalent in early American Literature especially throughout the works of the Puritans and the Transcendentalists, was the common theme of rebellion against the government. The purpose of this literature was not to entertain, but to inform, which set the precedent for the next 200 years. The literature was to be informative, persuasive, but not entertaining, as shown as a recurring theme in: Of Plymouth Plantation, by William Bradford, “Common Sense” and “The Crisis” both authored by Thomas Paine, “Self Reliance” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Resistance to Civil Government” by Henry David Thoreau, and the ultimate tribute to American independence, “The Declaration of Independence”, written by Thomas Jefferson. Although the way in which each author presented the common theme of rebellion against the government differed, the influence on each author came from the times he lived in. Of Plymouth Plantation, by William Bradford contains a section subtitled The Separatists Interpretation of the Reformation in England. The Puritans separated from the Anglican Church of England because nonconformists were considered criminals punished with death. Anglicanism was a mixture of Christianity and Protestantism; the Puritans were devout Protestant . . .
The British were hated even more because they were winning. They read along the lines that, “He has refused his assent to laws the most wholesome and necessary for the public good” (294). As Paine observed and wrote, the American colonists rebelled because Great Britain was an insufficient leader. He justifies all rebellions saying that providing for yourself is the only way to be peaceful. When writing their pieces these authors kept in mind the rebellious interests of their country and audience. That she has engrossed us is true, and defended the continent at our expense as well as her own, is admitted…” (280). They were at the mercy of one of Mother Nature’s harshest winters and all of them considered quitting the cause. In conclusion, the authors of Puritan, Revolutionary American, and Transcendentalist literature were products of their times. The next breed of rebels in American Literature wrote in the Transcendentalist period. The rebellion and dislike towards England was explicitly stated throughout the first book and chapter Of Plymouth Plantation. Paine also wrote a pamphlet to raise the spirits of the Continental Army, “The Crisis”, which was more motivational than the reassuring “Common Sense. Thoreau wrote “Resistance to Civil Government”. Emerson ventures further to demand that “Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Passages like this one raised the spirits of the soldiers.
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