Mary Rowlandson’s short works displayed the puritanical ways of accepting their fates, and
any obstacles in their ways were tests from God. This way of thinking and living is
personified in her (basically) short narrative tale of herself being captured by Indians, and
her daughter being killed by the savages by the way.
Jonathan Edwards, a exceptionally intelligent man, able to manipulate people. A slight step
up from Puritanism, the religion that he professed was one in which a person could only be
saved if they were elected by God above. Hey, some saved was better than no
saved…right? This form of believing didn’t hold under scrutiny either, as the evolution of
religion shows, for example look at today. You could be saved only if you were elected,
and once you were elected you could do no wrong, you were just short of divinity here on
earth. What followed this election, was usually prosperity, power and the like, and those
who had these things were assumed to be elect…almost a way to make yourself elect…?
This didn’t last long as people continued to become more open minded…for America was
giving them the freedom to do this, along with many other freedoms.
Thomas Jefferson, America’s 3rd president, and an accomplished one at that. Jefferson
helped bring into exhistance the Declaration of Independence.
He also bought a huge amount of land from Napolean, known as the Lousiana Purchase
for 15 Million dollars, what a deal! Napolean definately needed money to finance his little
war, tsk tsk.
A real thinker in the enlightenment also.
Washington Irving, named after George Washington was a famous writer who very
possibly invented the short story. Irving created such characters as Ichabod Crane and Rip
Van Winkle.
James Fenimore Cooper possibly the first American author that used fiction.