Photo, Caption, Citation #3

 

Many people consider the infamous Mayflower Compact to be the beginning of the Encounter and Foundation Era and also the seed that sprouted into American Literature. It was a way settlers could make sure they're colonies lasted and did not suffer the same fate as those before that failed due to lack of government. It was established by a consensus of settlers who arrived at New Plymouth in November of 1620.

URL: http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/5128RWM5C7L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

Quote, Paraphrase, and Citation #2

Quote: "O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?"

Paraphrase:Does our flag not wave over this country that homes the free and bravery?

Citation:Key, Francis Scott. "The Star Spangled Banner." USHistory.org. N.p., 20 Sept 1814. Web. 6 Feb 2012. <http://www.ushistory.org/documents/banner.htm>.

Photo, Caption, Citation #2

Author Thomas Paine inspired a country with his patriotic pamphlet known as Common Sense. It was published anonymously in January of 1776. He used this piece of political literature to focus revolutionists against the British monarch, King George III. It became an immediate best-seller in the colonies and even Britain itself and directly influenced the American Declaration of Independence. Without this one small piece of literature in American history, there may not have been an American history.

URL: http://www.earlyamerica.com/earlyamerica/milestones/commonsense/

Quote, Paraphrase, and Citation

Quote: "We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."  -Preamble to the US Constitution

Paraphrase: To insure the creation of a great, powerful, and stabile nation, to promote peace and liberty to all men; we the citizens of these Unitied States shall establish this Constitition for our government.

Citation: Madison, James, and Gouverneur Morris. "Constitution of the United States." USHistory.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Jan 2012.

Picture, Caption, and Citation

The Declaration of Independece, may be the most important part of  American literature in, not only the Encounter and Foundation Era, but all of history. It shows the motives and expressions of the Colonists who once, signed that document, declared freedom of British rule. Without this one document, the world would have never been what it is today.

Picture from: http://pioneerw.ipower.com/eDeclaration.jpg

Blog Status Report

Well I'm currently on the search for useful web-sites to go with my research topic, it's not as easy as I thought it would be or either I'm thinking too hard. I can find out all about the history of that era, and some literature but not really what answers my questions. Everything's working fine, I had a little isseus with Animoto but I think that was more of a computer problem, but it's all good now. Just got to get the research part done, the tech stuffs working all out for me; much better than taking notes in the book.

Animoto Based on Reasearch Questions

Make your own slideshow at Animoto.

What I Want To Know About My Topic

The initial beginning process of research has always been a difficult task for me. There are so many questions that absolutely must be answered by multiple reliable resources. All good researches must begin with an essential question, mine being "What defines literature of this era?"  You can't just jump into research by googling the main question. Take your time and break down the main objective into several smaller, more bite sized concepts. I have done exactly that and have generated the following five questions to guide me on this research journey:

1. What kind of  impact did authors have on society using their literature?
2. How did the events of that era influence the style of literature (mood, tone, etc)?
3. What was the most prevalent style of literature?
4. How does the literature of this era differ from the literature of today?
5. What makes this era's literature stand out from the rest?

What I Already Know About My Topic

With the discovery of the new land to the foundation of a great country, the Encounter and Foundation Era of American history is widely known. In that era we saw the transition from Native American tribes, to foreign colonies, to patriotic states. However, the literature of this era isn't widely known as the battles for our freedom are. Even I can't tell you one peice of literature written in this era. The 1500's were time of William Shakespear and the tragedy of Romeo and Juliet! But sadly, Shakespear was English and our targets are good ole Americans!

The Story Behind My Topic Choice

“Books are the carriers of civilization. Without books, history is silent, literature dumb, science crippled, thought and speculation at a standstill. They are engines of change, windows on the world, lighthouses erected in the sea of time,” is an infamous qoute by Barbara W. Tuchman on her view of the importance of literature. Literature has always been a crucial part of society. Its used to by the author to show his/her strong thoughts and feelings therefore acting as the ideal source of expression of many individuals. Some use literature to express themselves by reading the art work of the Greats, entering an alternate reality the story creates. Others prefer to create the alternate reality themselves and write their own personal expert peices of literature. Personally, I love to surround myself with both forms. However, I can't just read the book. There's so much more inbetween the lines that tells a whole different story. The story being of the author, and what's going on around him/her. You analyze a book, you analyze the author. You can see how it was during that time, how life was. One of America's most important eras was the Encounter and Foundation Era (1500-1800) and what was going on during that era greatly effected in it's literature. How interesting would it be to study a time frame just by reading the books? I'm not talking about the textbooks either, the fiction. That pure curiousity and challenge of getting inside of the minds of the authors of the greatest time period of American history sparks my intrest, and while doing so unlock pieces of history that no textbook can give you.