How the Colonization Era affected Authors Essay -- English Literature

How the Colonization Era affected Authors The atmosphere of which a writer adapts to affects his/her works. The writer's environment, and the churnings of history that feed the writer, gives him the material whereby he can construct, and create in. History, in this instance the colonization of the American continent, dictates what and how he is to write. Authors such as John Smith, William Bradford, and St. Jean de Crevecoeur are all examples of this. The atmosphere or society these authors were in directly affected the attitude, tone, genre, etc. of their works. This can be shown both by facts in history and their actual writings of that period. During the 17th century Pilgrims, which were a group of Separatist Puritans, disliked being in England and wanted to go to America for the right to practice their religion freely (and in 1620 they received a patent from Virginia which allowed them to settle in New England aboard the Mayflower). In 1606, King James I granted a charter authorizing overlapping grants of land in Virginia to two separate joint-stock companies, one based in London and the other in Plymouth. Captain John Smith planned to conquer New England's "goodly, strong, and well-proportioned (Indian) people" and establish an English colony there. He then led the Virginia Company of London to successfully establishing the colony. His work The General History of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles told about his colonization process and explorations, as he described America as a utopian society. As mentioned in his work, Smith maintained satisfactory relations with the Indians, as shown by his letter to Queen Anne when he says "That some ten years ago being in Virginia, and taken prisoner by the power of Powhatan their chief King, I received from this great savage exceeding great courtesy, especially from his son Nantaquaus. . . .And his sister Pocahontas, the King's most dear and well-beloved daughter, being but a child of twelve or thirteen years of age, whose compassionate pitiful heart, of my desperate estate, gave me much cause to respect her. . . ." Smith prevented Virginia from disintegrating. This is shown in his piece, as he tries hard to persuade people to come to America as shown by his statement "And surely by reason of those sandy cliffs, and cliffs of rocks . . . . who can but approve this a most excellent place, bo... ...erican slaves were worked very hard (many times they were worked to death). They were treated brutally and unfairly. Slavery was the biggest factor in economic prosperity because they cultivated the cash crops. The independence of the colonies was gained when, after a colonial conflict in reaction to British taxes like the Tea Act, the second continental congress declared independence and wrote the Declaration of Independence. Thus all of these events leading to the colonization of America influenced writing during, and after, that time period. The works of Smith, Bradford, and de Crevecoeur serve as a basis for future writings on the history of colonization. The atmosphere created in these works is reflected by the society during that time. That's why the environment an author is in so greatly affects his/her pieces of literature. For example, Smith might not be able to write many of the things he did in his work in today's time because today's society might oppose or disdain some of his ideas or his stylistic approach to his conclusions. Therefore, the society or setting present at a specific time is indicative of pieces of literature, as in the colonization of America.