American Contexts: "To Begin the World Over Again":
The Emerging Idea of "America" (pp. 427-465)
J. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur:
Born in France
Supported British rule in the Colonies
Wrote Letters from an American Farmer in "letter form" -- also called "epistolary form" -- an "epistle" is a fancy word for a letter
Praises farmers -- the "Agrarian" ideal -- connects to Thomas Jefferson (see below)
Emphasizes the "East" -- Europe, England -- as the source of "Genius" -- p. 433
This excerpt from Letter III leaves out some really good parts about Religion and the differences of inhabitants based on their proximity to the East Coast
John Dickinson:
Served with Benjamin Franklin in representing Pennsylvania at the Second Continental Congress
Refused the sign the Declaration, hoping for reconciliation with the British
A key role in the play/movie, "1776"
Wrote Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania to the Inhabitants of the British Colonies (1768) -- another example of "epistolary form"
Hannah Griffitts:
A Quaker
"Among the earliest protests by a colonial woman against taxation by the British government"
Pseudonym = "Fidelia" (Fidelity = continuing loyalty to a person, cause, or belief) -- p. 436
Thomas Paine:
Born in England
"Wrote the first pamphlet to advocate immediate independence from England" -- p. 437
Another "best-seller"
An excellent example of classical argument, especially in its use of argument / counter-argument (a.k.a. claim / rebuttal)
John Adams and Abigail Adams:
He was our second president
Over 1100 letters written between husband and wife
The central character in the play/movie, "1776"
His reply to her, especially the phrase, "the Despotism of the Peticoat," anticipates Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" -- p. 444
His boasting of future Americans celebrating the 4th of July is eerily accurate -- p. 446
A link to a site about Canada and the Colonies just before the Revolutionary War -- mentioned in one of John Adams' letters
Thomas Jefferson:
He was our third president
He was vice president under Adams
They became bitter enemies, which waned over time, and they took up a correspondence in their later years that lasted until their death
They died on exact same day, eerily enough, the 4th of July, 1826
He was also a Virginian -- recall William Byrd
The Declaration of Independence is also an excellent example of a classical argument, especially in its use of thesis and support
Note also his use of parallel structure in listing the grievances
The long passage about slavery -- on p. 451 -- was finally left out of the Declaration; leaving it in would have seriously jeopardized its passage -- many from the South would surely have voted against it
The long passage referring to British citizens -- on pp. 451-452 -- was also left of the Declaration; many felt leaving it in would have insulted and alienated friends left behind in England
His Notes on the State of Virginia is another example of the "Agrarian" ideal
His Notes on the State of Virginia is another example of the use of "epistolary form"
Note the introduction and application of Reason in matters of Religion -- pp. 455-456
Note the allusion to "tabula rasa" on p. 457
He notes that the institution of slavery is as bad for the slave-owner as it is for the slave
George Washington:
He was the commander in chief of the Continental Army
He was our first president
He was also a Virginian -- see William Byrd and Thomas Jefferson
Absalom Jones:
He was born into slavery
Presents another argument against slavery: the inherent contradiction between slavery and the claims put forth in the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights
Rhetorical strategy: he questions the "validity" of these documents -- or the difference between what is "preached" and what is "practiced"
Note the allusion to the "Golden Rule" -- p. 463
Tecumseh:
He was a Native American (Shawnee)
A speech -- reminds us that the Native Americans were primarily an oral culture