A journey through the great movements of American literature: from the Puritans to the present day. We explore iconic authors, historical contexts, and how each era has contributed to forging America's literary voice.
Saturday, July 5, 2025
North America's origins
To understand the history of North America, we must look a bit further back into the history of the English language, and then delve deeper into the inhabitants themselves."
First visitors
Norht America has been a melting pot of cultures ever since the first settlers came to the land approximately 14,000 years ago. The exploration history dates back more than a millenium and involves people from all over the world.
The very first people seated here weren't Europeans. It's widely accepted that the fisrt settlers were hunter-gatherers that came here from the North Assia Mammoth steppe via the Bering land bridge.
Many researchers show in their investigations that the first people who visited America for first time were Scandinavian Vikings during their explorations journeys during the 10th century, wich later resulted in the norse colonization puting them here in America around 500 years before Columbus.
England in the 17th Century: Why Puritans Fled to America
England in the early 17th century was experiencing intense political and religious upheaval under the Stuart monarchs. King James I (1603-1625) and his son King Charles I (1625-1649) both strongly supported the Anglican Church (Church of England) and viewed religious dissent as a threat to royal authority.
The Church of England, established by Henry VIII in the 1530s, had become the official state religion. By the 1600s, it retained many Catholic-like practices that reformers found objectionable, including:
Episcopal hierarchy (bishops appointed by the crown)
Elaborate ceremonies and rituals
Ornate church decorations
Required use of the Book of Common Prayer
Mandatory attendance at Anglican services
The Puritans
The Puritan migration to America was not simply about seeking new opportunities, but rather a desperate flight from religious persecution, economic hardship, and political oppression in Stuart England.
Puritans believed the Anglican Church was still too similar to Catholicism and wanted to eliminate what they saw as "popish" elements.
Faced with this oppressive environment, many Puritans saw America as their only option for practicing their faith freely:
Massachusetts Bay Company (1629) provided legal means for migration
John Winthrop and other leaders organized the Great Migration
Economic opportunity combined with religious freedom
Covenant theology suggested God was calling them to establish a "New Jerusalem"
Between 1629 and 1640, approximately 20,000 Puritans left England for New England.
The pilgrims
The Pilgrims were Separatists - a radical Protestant group that completely broke away from the Church of England, unlike Puritans who wanted to reform it from within. They believed the Anglican Church was so corrupt that it couldn't be saved and formed their own independent congregations.
Originally part of a Separatist congregation in Scrooby, England (around 1606)
Led by William Brewster and pastor Richard Clyfton
Faced persecution in England for refusing to attend Anglican services
In 1608, they fled to Leiden, Holland seeking religious freedom
First written framework of government in what would become the United States
Democratic principles: Government by consent of the governed
Self-governance: No royal governor or outside authority
"We whose names are underwritten... do by these presents solemnly and mutually in the presence of God, and one of another, covenant and combine ourselves together into a civil body politic, for our better ordering and preservation..."
The first Thanksgiving
It wasn't what we imagine today. It was a 3-day harvest celebration in October 1621 with about 50 surviving Pilgrims and 90 Wampanoag Native Americans.
The menu was different. Likely waterfowl, venison, seafood, corn, and vegetables - probably no turkey as the main dish, and definitely no pumpkin pie or mashed potatoes.
The real story is both more dramatic and more complex than the traditional narrative - showing incredible hardship, cultural cooperation, and survival against overwhelming odds.
52 of the 102 passengers died during the first winter
Entire families wiped out
Only 4 adult women survived out of 29
Many children became orphans
BurialsDone secretly at night to hide their weakness from potential Native American attacks
Currently impact
Thanks to the convergence and integration of various cultures, the United States as we know it today came into existence—impacting even pre-existing cultures. It is undeniable that the formation of a nation does not happen overnight nor is it an easy process. However, when societies learn from other civilizations and adapt their knowledge for mutual growth, it becomes possible to build a strong and remarkable nation.
The arrival of foreigners to the ancient North American lands brought about significant changes that are appreciated today. However, it is also important to recognize that ancestral knowledge and culture have been lost over the course of historical development. This loss is concerning, as it is essential to remember where we come from and how things began—something that many people today have unfortunately forgotten.
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