FOUNDING WRITERS Sessions 1 & 2 Dr. Bill Thierfelder WILSONVILLE PUBLIC LIBRARY FOUNDING WRITERS SUPPLEMENT Dr. Bill Thierfelder 2 INTRODUCTION In the first two sessions of this course, you’ll be reading through selections by the men who were instrumental in the founding of the American colonies. (We’ll be looking at the women in several upcoming sessions.) The writings in Sessions 1 and 2 cover a period from 1616 to the mid 1700s. One of the things that you’ll note immediately is the lack of fiction (short stories, novels, or plays). Not until the late Colonial Period and Early America will you begin to encounter novels and plays. In the early years, the bulk of material tended to fall into three areas. Arguably the journals, diaries, and histories of the period form the major category of writing. Early settlers wrote about their experiences travelling to America, creating settlements, and their often precarious relations with the natural world (including disease and hunger) and with the indigenous peoples whom they called Indians. A close second in terms of volume was religious writing. Sermons and other theological inquiries were the “best sellers” of the day. Many of the earliest settlers, especially in New England, came to North America to escape religious persecution and found solace in their spiritual lives. Indeed, some early colonies like Massachussets Bay and Plymouth Plantation were set up as theocracies, with the Church being the center of political and social life. Interestingly, poetry was the other predominant literary form of the era; though there was much more historical and religious writing, many men (and, as we shall see, women) used verse as a way of exploring their religious and personal experiences in the colonies. What is also striking--especially in the diaries, journals, and poetry--is the often deeply personal tone of the writing. Not again until the Romantic Era of the early 19th century do we find writing so focused on a private response to the world. If the 18th Century and the Age of Enlightenment tended to focus on society--on the “We”--and moral and ethical questions, the Romantic Era was all about the individual--the “I”--and about a person’s reactions to his or her deep feelings. In the some of the early colonial poets like Edward Taylor and diarists like Samuel Sewall, you find similar personal examinations of the hardships of the world and their own indidual experiences. We also can’t avoid the elephant in the room: Some of the writing is a bit challenging to navigate because of the rather fluid nature of 17th and early 18th century spelling, punctuation, and grammar. Modern readers find individual works to be interesting but “slow going” because they’re trying to work around the writing itself. Take heart. Unlike a formal College course-- with its quizzes, tests, essays, and term papers--our class is about exploring ideas and the lives of these remarkable men and women. If you find certain passages in the earlier readings a bit dense, don’t worry--try to glean as much as you can and know that we’ll be discussing things during our in-person sessions. Let the experience of our class be enriching and thought- provoking; there’s no need to stumble when the emphasis will be on the walk through our early heritage. FOUNDING WRITERS SUPPLEMENT Dr. Bill Thierfelder 3 SESSION ONE: OPENING NOTE: Full biographies of each writer may be found on my website: www.makingwings.net Go to FOUNDING WRITERS in the top menu and choose the session you want in the drop down. There are separate pages for SESSIONS 1 & 2; SESSIONS 3 & 4; and SESSIONS 5 & 6. You will see the links to the biographies under each author’s name. In addition, there are links to the complete versions of many of the works that we’ll be discussing in this class should you wish to explore further. ________________________________________________________________________ JOHN SMITH (1580--1631) From A DESCRIPTION OF NEW ENGLAND (1616) NOTE: Smith was an English soldier, explorer, colonial governor, Admiral of New England, and author. He played an important role in the establishment of the Jamestown colony in 1607, the first permanent English settlement in North America. In December 1607, Smith was captured by Indians while searching for food and taken to meet the chief of the Powhatans at Werowocomoco, the main village of the Powhatan Confederacy. The village was on the north shore of the York River about 15 miles due north of Jamestown. Smith feared for his life, but he was eventually released without harm FOUNDING WRITERS SUPPLEMENT Dr. Bill Thierfelder 4 and later attributed this in part to the chief's daughter Pocahontas who, according to Smith, threw herself across his body. NOTE: As mentioned in the introduction, one of the things a modern reader might have to navigate is the early 17th century spelling of words; at the time, there was no such thing as “standardized” spelling rules, and the use of “v” for our modern “u” (an idiosyncrasy held over from classical Latin texts) takes getting used to. But after a while, most readers will be able to negotiate these issues; stick with it. It’s a fascinating work. SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT WHILE YOU READ: Smith’s primary reason for writing this work was to make the British North American colonies attractive to potential settlers. How well does he succeed? What are some of the things that he does to “sell” the new world? That part wee call New England is betwixt the degrees of 41. and 45: but that parte this discourse speaketh of, stretcheth but from Pennobscot to Cape Cod, some 75 leagues by a right line distant each from other: within which bounds I haue seene at least 40. seuerall habitations vpon the Sea Coast, and sounded about 25 excellent good Harbours; in many whereof there is ancorage for 500. sayle of ships of any burthen; in some of them for 5000: And more than 200 Iles ouergrowne with good timber, of diuers sorts of wood, which doe make so many harbours as requireth a lon∣ger time then I had, to be well discouered. The principall habitation Northward we were at, was Pennobscot, Southward along the Coast and vp the Riuers we found Mecadacut, Segocket, Pem∣maquid, Nusconcus, Kenebeck, Sagadahock, and Au∣moughaawgen; And to those Countries belong the people of Segotago, Paghhuntanuck, Pocopassum, Taughtanakagnet, Warbigganus, Nassaque, Masherosqueck, Wawrigweck, Moshoquen, Wakcogo, Passhara∣nack, &c. To these are allied the Countries of Aucocisco, Accominticus, Passataquack, Aggawom, & Naemkeck: all these, I could perceiue, differ little in language, fashion, or gouernment: though most be Lords of themselues, yet they hold the Bashabes of Pennobscot, the chiefe and greatest amongst them. The next I can remēber by name are Mattahunts; two pleasant Iles of groues, gardens and corne fields a league in the Sea from the Mayne. Then Totant, Massachuset, Pocapawmet, Quonahassit, Sa∣goquas, Nahapassumkeck, Topeent, Seccasaw, Totheet, Nasnocomacack, Accomack, Chawum; Then Cape Cod by which is Pawmet and the Ile Nawset, of the language, & alliance of them of Chawum: The o∣thers are called Massachusets; of another language, humor and condition: For their trade and mar∣chandize; to each of their habitations they haue diuerse Townes and people belonging; and by their relations and desriptions, more then 20 seuerall Habitations and Riuers that stretch themselues farre vp into the Countrey, euen to the bor∣ders of diuerse great Lakes, where they kill and take most of their Beuers and Ouers. From Pen∣nobscot to Sagadahock this Coast is all Mountainous and Iles of huge Rocks, but ouergrowen with all sorts of excellent good woodes for building hou∣ses, boats, barks or shippes; with an incredible a∣bundance of most sorts of fish, much fowle, and sundry sorts of good fruites for mans vse. Betwixt Sagadahock and Sowocatuck there is but two or three sandy Bayes, but betwixt that and Cape God very many: especialy the Coast of the Massachusets is so indifferently mixed with FOUNDING WRITERS SUPPLEMENT Dr. Bill Thierfelder 5 high clayie or sandy cliffes in one place, & then tracts of large long ledges of diuers sorts, and quarries of stones in other places so strangely diuided with tinctured veines of diuers colours: as, Free stone for building, Slate for tiling, smooth stone to make Fornaces and Forges for glasse or iron, and iron ore sufficient, conueniently to melt in them: but the most part so resembleth the Coast of Deuonshire, I thinke most of the cliffes would make such lime-stone: If they be not of these qualities, they are so like, they may deceiue a better iudgement then mine; all which are so neere adioyning to those other aduantages I obserued in these parts, that if the Ore proue as good as iron & steele, as I know it is within the bounds of the Countrey, I dare engage my head (hauing but men skilfull to worke the simples there growing) to haue all things belonging to the building the rigging of shippes of any proportion, and and good marchandize for the fraught, within a square of 10 or 14 leagues: and were it for a good rewarde, I would not feare to prooue it in a lesse limitation. And surely by reason of those sandy cliffes and cliffes of rocks, both which we saw so planted with Gardens and Corne fields, and so well inhabited with a goodly, strong and well proportioned peo∣ple, besides the greatnesse of the Timber growing on them, the greatnesse of the fish and the mode∣rate temper of the ayre (for of twentie fiue, not a∣ny was sicke, but two that were many yeares dis∣eased before they went, not withstanding our bad lodging and accidentall diet) who can but ap∣prooue this a most excellent place, both for health & fertility? And of all the foure parts of the world that I haue yet seene not inhabited, could I haue but meanes to transport a Colonie, I would rather liue here then any where: and if it did not main∣taine if selfe, were wee but once indifferently well fitted, let vs starue.