Literary Timeline 1771

1771-1790:     The time period during which Benjamin Franklin writes his autobiography, which remained unpublished while during his lifetime. His account of his life is divided into four parts, reflecting the different periods at which he wrote them. Although it has been altered from the original manuscript, Franklin’s work has become one of the most famous and influential examples of an autobiography ever written. Franklin's autobiography has received widespread praise, both for its historical value as a record of an important early American and for its literary style. It is often considered the first American book to be taken seriously by Europeans as literature. One who wishes to learn more about The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin can go to http://www.earlyamerica.com/lives/franklin/.

1774-1781:     Around 1782, the French-American writer Michael Guillame Jean de Crevecoeur wrote Letters From An American Farmer. Crevecoeur later changed his name to J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur in his quest to become an American farmer, which is shown in his writings. Through a series of letters, describing certain provincial situations, manners, and customs not generally known, and conveying some idea of the interior circumstances of the British Colonies of North America, Crevecœur illustrates the idealized version of a free society (that society being America). While the first letters portray a perfect conception of America, through his secluded farm called Pine Hill, the following letters depict a land damaged and destroyed by society and civilization. One such entity is slavery, which is described throughout the book. To read more about Crevecoeur’s Letters From An American Farmer go to: http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/crev.htm.

1775-1781:     During this time the War for American Independence occurred where the thirteen mainland colonies of British North America declared their independence on July 4, 1776, to form the United States of America. This war, by which the...