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American Lit Lecture Intro

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American Lit Lecture Intro

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official.sparsh.9
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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You are on page 1/ 22

INTRODUCTION TO AMERICAN

LITERATURE
HSSF399

1
*The images in the following presentation are used for
educational purposes only. We do not own the copyright to
these images. These images should not be circulated or
reproduced in any manner.*
COLONIAL BACKGROUND OF AMERICAN
LITERATURE 1500-1700

COLUMBUS’ VOYAGE TO THE CARIBBEAN (1492 AD)

HERMAN CORTEZ’S ARRIVAL IN MEXICO+ THE PROBLEM WITH


MONTEZDUMA (1519 AD)

BRINGING INTO CONTACT DIVERSE PEOPLES FROM EUROPE, ASIA, AND


AFRICA - SPAIN’S ALLIANCES/HISTORY WITH BOTH AFRICA & ASIA
SUBSTANTIAL GUESSWORK IN DETERMINING THE ANCESTRAL ORIGIN OF
NATIVE PEOPLE IN AMERICA.

BASED ON THE GENETIC SIMILARITIES BETWEEN NATIVE PEOPLE &


EURASIAN PEOPLE : BERING STRAIT’S ORIGINAL ‘LAND BRIDGE THEORY’

PREHISTORY OF AMERICA INCLUDES MAYAN CIVILIZATION & AZTEC


CIVILIZATION

Let’s take a look at the DIVERSITY OF NORTH AMERICAN NATIVE CULTURE


ANCESTRAL PUEBLOANS
Also called ‘Anasazi’, a Navajo word
meaning “ancestors of the enemy”

They were centred in the area that


borders the present day Colorado,
Utah, Arizona, New Mexico

Characterised by Pueblo (village) life -


built on hill tops or even canyon
floors. For eg: New Mexico’s Chaco
canyon

Gradual decrease in population due


Chaco Culture (United States of America)
© Sacred sites
Author: Martin Gray
to climate change from Ist century to
Source: UNESCO Website
1300 AD.
Plains Indians

• RIVER VALLEY

SETTLEMENTS

FARMING & HUNTING

FERTILE LAND
Drawing of "typical"
activities in the life
of a Plains Indian band.
TRADING/PARTLY Source: npa.gov
MOUND Vast terrain covered - Ohio &

BUILDERS Mississippi valley regions

From 1500 BC - 700 BC

They are known for constructing


giant platform mounds and
settlements that rivalled European
cities in size at the time even cities
as large as medieval London

One of the most famous of these


large cities is Cahokia that was
constructed around 1250 AD near
present day St. Louis
"Ancient Civilizations - Forgotten Cultures," oil painting
by Martin Pate
Courtesy of the Southeast Archeological Center Ecological issues & diseases led to
Source: nps.gov decline of civilisation
Gradual power structure shifting to tribal groups like the Mohawks,
Oneidas, Onondagas, Seneca’s (Ref. The Great League of Peace 1450 AD)

These became the Eastern Woodland people. Bore the burnt of English
Colonisation

Semipermanent villages with clear democratic structure

Importance of women as leaders of the community


CARIBBEAN ISLANDERS
Related to modern day Venezuelans

Fishing & farming. Extensive range of


sea - trade

By the time of Columbus’ visit in


1492, there were more than 4 million
inhabitants of the Caribbean Islands

Sophisticated social structure, clean


hierarchies
Carib fishermen, illustration from Girolamo Benzoni's
La historia del Mondo Nuovo
(1565; History of the New World). Archeological evidence of several
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (reproduction no. LC-USZ62-97211) civilisations in pre-contact Caribbean
WEST AFRICAN SOCIETIES

Post 1492 AD - 6 out of 7 were Africans in America

Huge variety of African civilisation : Egyptian, Zimbabwe and other


West African empires (during Columbus + Cortez’s lifetimes)

Majority of African arrivals to the Americas as slaves

African cultural heritages significantly shaped the cultural legacy


of America
West African city of Timbuktu, seat of the powerful Songhai Empire

Ghana, Mali, Morocco, Asante, Dahomey, Oyo, Bini (important kingdoms


that conflicted with Europeans)

Massive inland trade between various West African kingdoms in the


coastal and trans-Saharan belt

Enormously rich social structure of the West African peoples

Gradual rise of Islam in the region - Timbuktu & Djenne became centres
of Islamic learning that attracted Southern European scholars
Spain, more culturally
close to West African
culture than other
European countries
(proximity +
war/occupation by
Africans)

Portugal’s interest in
African slavery as a
trading commodity by
the 1430’s - Portugal’s
proximity to Africa.
Internal Slavery existed in African Communities - Result of war, justice
system awarded punishment of crime

However, Internal Slavery was vastly different from later European


slavery of Africans in Europe & America.

African slavery system was not a permanent status and didn’t apply to
the next generation

More akin to various forms of community serivce- “slaves” as


administrators, soldiers, farmers - variety of roles
African system interacts with European, especially Portuguese trade

African systems open-ness does not anticipate the stringent/virulent form


that European trade in slaves will take - Radical differences in the
treatment of “slaves”

The Web of the Atlantic Sea Trade

Complete isolation from the structure of West African communities

Completely cut off from their spiritual + Cultural traditions


WESTERN EUROPE & SLAVERY

By 1492, Europe was suffering from a catastrophe.

(1337-1453 AD) Hundred Years War between England and France had
resulted in catastrophic effects on the economy and region

(1347 - 1351) Black Death (Bubonic Plague) destroyed 1/3rd of European


population leading to Acute labour shortage
TWO PARADOXICAL MOVEMENTS: ONE OF
THE CAUSES OF THE INDUSTRIAL
REVOLUTION

Focus on technological improvements to reduce labour time

Focus on vast labour sources to run their systems


RENAISSANCE (THE 3RD MOVEMENT)
Revival of interest in classical systems of culture (Greco-Roman) leading
to changes in the Art & Culture. Some of the well known artist are
Shakespeare, Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo

The movement saw a concentrated rise in Italy and gradually spread


through Europe

There was greater rigidity of European political and social organisation in


comparison to the West African counterparts

European forms were majorly patriarchal. In fact with a few exceptions,


most European monarches were men.
GRADUAL CONSOLIDATION OF POLITICAL & MILITARY
AUTHORITY

Hostility between the political


systems of Europe & Africa meisterdrucke.

reaches its climax when


Granada, the last African-
Muslim stronghold falls in
1492, just a few months before
Columbus’ fateful voyage

The surrender of Granada, 1492 by Spanish School.


Source: meisterdrucke.us
RISE OF PROTESTANTISM & RELIGIOUS
CONFLICT

In1517 AD, Martin Luther’s dissent at Catholicism and later withdrawn to


form a new sect

PROTEST-Religion - Protestantism was aiming at a clearer, direct relation


between God & Man

This is also known as Protestant Reformation and this sharp division led to
widespread civil unrest in Europe
IMPORTANT THINKERS

Martin Luther and John Calvin were two


of the most important thinkers for the
rise of religious dissent and the
breakaway point that led to the journey
to America (on the British side)
DISCOVERY & TRADE

As a part of the larger process there was lure of trade (Mercantile Class)
and of making converts to Christianity (Priestly Class)

Spice Trade over land necessitated the need to circumvent the Arab
traders standing between India/the ‘East’ and Europe. This was the
reason for Columbus’ journey to the ‘East’ leading to his accidental
discovery of the American Continent.

This was also facilitated due to parallel developments in shipbuilding


industries which was successful in making sailing ships refitted for longer
journeys.
Spain & Portugal’s competitive forays from Europe
: Columbus and Vasco Da Gama

Spanish Conquest of the “New World” (America)


and subsequent colonisation

This had catastrophic results in terms of decline of


the Aztecs and the Incas.

Additional the New World is introduced to diseases


like smallpox, measles, influenza, and typhus fever
— Aztecs and Incas had no prior history of these Img Source: internet

diseases resulting in catastrophic consequences


for their populations

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