Evaluation Results Requirement: Survey of World History: UYT Task 4 AUTHOR: Kaitlin Galvan DATE EVALUATED: 02/18/2018 06:27:42 PM (MST) DRF TEMPLATE: Survey of World History (UG, C375, UYT1-0615) PROGRAM: Survey of World History (UG, C375, UYT1-0615) EVALUATION METHOD: Using Rubric FINAL SCORE Does not Meet General comments: 2/18/18 - This thoughtful essay capably discusses the causes of the American Revolution, aptly discussing several factors that led to the Revolution, such as the British imposition of taxes such as the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, and the Intolerable Acts. Nationalism is also competently explained as developing during the American Revolution, as an increasing number of Americans were native-born and identified themselves as a political community. Finally, a suitable explanation of the consequences of industrialization is present and ably discusses how those consequences included the development of the factory system, the development of new forms of transportation, such as steamships, and changes in women's position, both in the home and in society. A discussion of the results of the American Revolution could not be discerned in the submission. Detailed Results (Rubric used: UYT Task 4 (0615)) ARTICULATION OF RESPONSE (CLARITY, ORGANIZATION, MECHANICS) 0. 0=UNSATISFACTORY/NOT PRESENT 1. 1=NEEDS IMPROVEMENT 2. 2=COMPETENT The candidate provides unsatisfactory articulation of response. The candidate provides weak articulation of response. The candidate provides adequate articulation of response. Printed on: 02/19/2018 12:31:36 PM (EST) https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/27641407 https://www.taskstream.com/ CRITERION SCORE: 2.00 A. CAUSES AND RESULTS OF REVOLUTION 0. 0=UNSATISFACTORY/NOT PRESENT 1. 1=NEEDS IMPROVEMENT 2. 2=COMPETENT The candidate does not provide a logical discussion of the causes and results of 1 of the given revolutions. The candidate provides a logical discussion, with insufficient detail, of the causes and results of 1 of the given revolutions. The candidate provides a logical discussion, with sufficient detail, of the causes and results of 1 of the given revolutions. CRITERION SCORE: 0.00 COMMENTS ON THIS CRITERION: 2/18/18 - The essay capably discusses the causes of the American Revolution, aptly noting how factors such as the British imposition of taxes, such as the Stamp Act, following the French and Indian War, the Boston Massacre, and the Intolerable Acts, were all important in leading to the conflict with Britain. A discussion of the results of the American Revolution could not be discerned in the submission. For instruction on the causes and results of the American Revolution, please revisit Unit 6: Modern Patterns in World History, Module 15: The Rise of Nationalism and Political Transformations in the Atlantic World in the study plan for this course by clicking on the link located in the top left in this rubric item's name, Causes and Results of Revo ...

1. Evaluation Results
Requirement: Survey of World History: UYT Task 4
AUTHOR: Kaitlin Galvan
DATE EVALUATED: 02/18/2018 06:27:42 PM (MST)
DRF TEMPLATE: Survey of World History (UG, C375, UYT1-
0615)
PROGRAM: Survey of World History (UG, C375, UYT1-0615)
EVALUATION METHOD: Using Rubric
FINAL SCORE
Does not Meet
General comments:
2/18/18 - This thoughtful essay capably discusses the causes of
the American Revolution, aptly
discussing several factors that led to the Revolution, such as the
British imposition of taxes such as
the Stamp Act, the Boston Massacre, and the Intolerable Acts.
Nationalism is also competently
explained as developing during the American Revolution, as an
increasing number of Americans were
native-born and identified themselves as a political community.
Finally, a suitable explanation of the
consequences of industrialization is present and ably discusses

2. how those consequences included
the development of the factory system, the development of new
forms of transportation, such as
steamships, and changes in women's position, both in the home
and in society. A discussion of the
results of the American Revolution could not be discerned in
the submission.
Detailed Results
(Rubric used: UYT Task 4 (0615))
ARTICULATION OF RESPONSE (CLARITY,
ORGANIZATION, MECHANICS)
0.
0=UNSATISFACTORY/NOT
PRESENT
1. 1=NEEDS
IMPROVEMENT
2. 2=COMPETENT
The candidate provides
unsatisfactory articulation of
response.
The candidate provides
weak articulation of
response.
The candidate provides
adequate articulation of
response.

3. Printed on: 02/19/2018 12:31:36 PM (EST)
https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/27641407
https://www.taskstream.com/
CRITERION SCORE:
2.00
A. CAUSES AND RESULTS OF REVOLUTION
0.
0=UNSATISFACTORY/NOT
PRESENT
1. 1=NEEDS
IMPROVEMENT
2. 2=COMPETENT
The candidate does not
provide a logical discussion
of the causes and results of
1 of the given revolutions.
The candidate provides a
logical discussion, with
insufficient detail, of the
causes and results of 1 of
the given revolutions.
The candidate provides a
logical discussion, with
sufficient detail, of the

4. causes and results of 1 of
the given revolutions.
CRITERION SCORE:
0.00
COMMENTS ON THIS CRITERION:
2/18/18 - The essay capably discusses the causes of the
American Revolution, aptly noting
how factors such as the British imposition of taxes, such as the
Stamp Act, following the
French and Indian War, the Boston Massacre, and the
Intolerable Acts, were all important in
leading to the conflict with Britain. A discussion of the results
of the American Revolution could
not be discerned in the submission.
For instruction on the causes and results of the American
Revolution, please revisit Unit 6:
Modern Patterns in World History, Module 15: The Rise of
Nationalism and Political
Transformations in the Atlantic World in the study plan for this
course by clicking on the link
located in the top left in this rubric item's name, Causes and
Results of Revolution.
B. DEVELOPMENT OF IDEOLOGY
0.
0=UNSATISFACTORY/NOT
PRESENT
1. 1=NEEDS
IMPROVEMENT

5. 2. 2=COMPETENT
The candidate does not The candidate provides a The candidate
provides a
Printed on: 02/19/2018 12:31:36 PM (EST)
https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/32239874
https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/32239874
https://www.taskstream.com/
provide a logical explanation
of the development of 1 of
the given ideologies in
relation to associated
historical events.
logical explanation, with
insufficient detail, of the
development of 1 of the
given ideologies in relation
to associated historical
events.
logical explanation, with
sufficient detail, of the
development of 1 of the
given ideologies in relation
to associated historical
events.
CRITERION SCORE:

6. 2.00
C. CONSEQUENCES OF INDUSTRIALIZATION
0.
0=UNSATISFACTORY/NOT
PRESENT
1. 1=NEEDS
IMPROVEMENT
2. 2=COMPETENT
The candidate does not
provide a logical explanation
of 3 consequences of
industrialization in the
nineteenth and twentieth
centuries.
The candidate provides a
logical explanation, with
insufficient detail, of 3
consequences of
industrialization in the
nineteenth and twentieth
centuries.
The candidate provides a
logical explanation, with
sufficient detail, of 3
consequences of
industrialization in the
nineteenth and twentieth
centuries.

7. CRITERION SCORE:
2.00
D. SOURCE ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
0.
0=UNSATISFACTORY/NOT
PRESENT
1. 1=NEEDS
IMPROVEMENT
2. 2=COMPETENT
There is evidence of quoted,
paraphrased, or summarized
The candidate provides
insufficient
The candidate provides
sufficient acknowledgement
Printed on: 02/19/2018 12:31:36 PM (EST)
https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/32239874
https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/71484321
https://www.taskstream.com/
content without
acknowledgement of source
information in in-text
citations and references.

8. acknowledgement of source
information, using in-text
citations and references,
for quoted, paraphrased,
and summarized content.
of source information,
using in-text citations and
references, for all quoted,
paraphrased, and
summarized content.
CRITERION SCORE:
2.00
D1. SOURCES
0.
0=UNSATISFACTORY/NOT
PRESENT
1. 1=NEEDS
IMPROVEMENT
2. 2=COMPETENT
The candidate does not
include the given points
when providing source
references.
The candidate includes the
given points, with
incomplete or inaccurate

9. information, when
providing source
references.
The candidate includes the
given points, with accurate
and complete information,
when providing source
references.
CRITERION SCORE:
2.00
Printed on: 02/19/2018 12:31:36 PM (EST)
https://lrps.wgu.edu/provision/71484321
https://www.taskstream.com/
Benjamin Franklin
· 1706-1790
· born in Boston, Massachusetts
· scientist, journalist, printer, diplomat, Founding Father
“The Way to Wealth”:
· written for the 25th anniversary of Poor Richard’s Almanac, in
1758
· persona: Richard Saunders, “Father Abraham”
· a summary of Franklin’s best, pithy aphorisms
(industriousness, frugality, sensibility, discipline, self-reliance,
self-sufficiency)

10. “The Speech of Miss Polly Baker”:
· feminist; demanding equal responsibility on the part of women
AND men in the case of having children out of wedlock (243)
· Franklin’s own son William was illegitimate, but welcomed
into the household.
· separation of church and state; anti-abortion (243)
“Remarks Concerning the Savages of North America”:
· pointing out the term “savages”; CULTURAL RELATIVISM
· the hypocrisy of the Swedish minister (creation myths)
· hospitality vs. cheating white traders (“to hear and learn good
things”)
SAMSON’S OCCOM’s “A Short Narrative of My Life”:
· 1723-1792; a Mohegan Indian
· converted to Christianity at age 16; became a pupil of the
Reverend Eleazar Wheelock; was later an ordained Presbyterian
himself
· betrayed by Wheelock while in England with the Reverend
Nathaniel Whitaker to raise funds for an Indian charity school;
did not take care of Occom’s family while he was away as he

11. had promised (came back to a sickly and impoverished family);
Wheelock, in fact, was planning to use the money to move the
present school to a more advantageous location, ultimately
making it completely non-Native (present-day Dartmouth
College)
· wrote “A Short Narrative of My Life” to justify himself as an
“Indian preacher,” out of his new sense of disappointment and
alienation (YES, ACTUALLY WROTE IT HIMSELF!); written
in 1768, but not published until 1982!
· urged neutrality for the Indians at the outbreak of the
Revolutionary War
· Notice his troubles in seeking education: eye strain and
weakness from so much (4 years with Wheelock); frustrations
with teaching Indian children
An Introduction to A F R O F U T U R I S M
As a definitive genre and field of study, Afrofuturism, which
focuses on works of science fiction written by authors of the
African diaspora, is fairly new.
· coined by cultural critic Mark Dery in his 1994 essay “Black
to the Future,” from the collection Flame Wars: The Discourse
of Cyberculture:
“Why do so few African Americans write science fiction, a
genre whose close encounters with the Other—the stranger in a
strange land—would seem uniquely suited to the concerns of

12. African-American novelists? […] This is especially perplexing
in light of the fact that African Americans, in a very real sense,
are the descendants of alien abductees; they inhabit a sci-fi
nightmare in which unseen but no less impassible force fields of
intolerance frustrate their movements; official histories undo
what has been done; and technology is too often brought to bear
on black bodies.” (179-180)
“Speculative fiction that treats African-American themes and
addresses African-American concerns in the context of
twentieth-century technoculture—and, more generally, African-
American signification that appropriates images of technology
and a prosthetically enhanced future—might, for want of a
better term, be called ‘Afrofuturism.’” (180)
· In the same collection, African-American writer, musician,
and producer Greg Tate:
“Well, if you look at the black writing that’s been done in this
century [the twentieth], from Richard Wright on, there’s always
been huge dollops of fantasy, horror, and science fiction in it.
There are science fiction sequences in Ralph Ellison’s Invisible
Man, for example.” (207)
Tate also points out the inherently sci-fi aesthetic of even the
earliest hip hop (210)—how “SF [science fiction], like hip-hop,
is a very sociohistorical genre.” (211)
“Science fiction eschews the psychological dimension in terms
of character portrayal for a more all-encompassing look at the
impact of the various institutions that govern behavior and the
transmission of knowledge. And in the same way that SF
focuses on the impact of information technologies on the
psychology of a society, black literature moves the silence and
intellectual marginalization of blacks to the foreground. Both
represent an attempt to view everything through a single lens,
so that we can see the specter haunting society that society
doesn’t want to acknowledge.” (211)
“that the condition of alienation that comes from being a black
subject in American society parallels the kind of alienation that
science fiction writers try to explore through various genre

13. devices—transporting someone from the past into the future,
thrusting someone into an alien culture, on another planet,
where he has to confront alien ways of being. All of these
devices reiterate the condition of being black in American
culture. Black people live the estrangement that science fiction
writers imagine.” (211-212)
· also worth checking out: author and filmmaker Ytasha
Womack’s Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and
Fantasy Culture
Themes of Science Fiction as a Speculative Fiction (Applicable
to and Typical of Afrofuturism)
1. advanced technology; technological innovation (including
artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and cyborgs)
2. mad science
3. utopias and/or dystopias
4. panoptic surveillance; conspiracies
5. apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic
6. alien invasion; alien abduction; alien encounters in general
7. alternate worlds; alternate universes; alternate histories
8. retro-futurism (“futuristic” from the standpoint of the past—
like what so-called “steampunk” does with the Victorian era)
9. space travel
10. intergalactic warfare
11. time travel

14. 12. overlap with other forms of speculative fiction (fiction that
deals with supernatural and/or the future; “speculative” = “What
if…?”), especially fantasy and horror (Think of how one of the
earliest and most archetypal works of horror literature, Mary
Shelley’s Frankenstein, is both horror and science fiction.)
The usefulness and significance of these themes comes through
their use as METAPHORS—usually pointing towards some sort
of historical, cultural, and/or social commentary.
Texts that I required for my English 400 course:
Dark Matter: A Century of Speculative Fiction from the
African Diaspora (edited by Sheree R. Thomas)
Black No More (George S. Schuyler)
Invisible Man (Ralph Ellison)
Kindred (Octavia Butler)
The Intuitionist (Colson Whitehead)
Further Reading Recommendations:
· Of One Blood by Pauline Hopkins (1903; Telassar = Wakanda
before Wakanda)
· I say this without the least bit of exaggeration:
EVERYTHING ever written by Octavia Butler. Seriously, all of
it.
· Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti trilogy and Who Fears Death
· Steven Barnes’ Lion’s Blood and Zulu Heart
· N.K. Jemisin’s How Long ’Til Black Future Month? and
Broken Earth trilogy
· Colson Whitehead’s Zone One and The Underground Railroad

15. · Nalo Hopkinson’s Brown Girl in the Ring
· Kodwo Eshun’s More Brilliant Than the Sun (musical
criticism/theory)
· Rivers Solomon’s An Unkindness of Ghosts
Short stories that can be found online as fair use:
1. W.E.B. Du Bois’ “The Comet”
2. Derrick Bell’s “The Space Traders”
3. Henry Dumas’ “Ark of Bones” and “Fon”
Afrofuturism in music:
Sun Ra
Jimi Hendrix (especially “Third Stone from the Sun”)
Parliament/Funkadelic/George Clinton/The P-Funk All-Stars
early- and mid-1980s hip hop (think Afrika Bambaataa and
early breakdancing music)
1990s hip hop and r&b videos for artists such as Tupac Shakur,
Aaliyah, Missy Elliott, and
Busta Rhymes (especially with Janet Jackson)
Outkast (ATLiens, “Synthesizer,” Big Boi’s portion of the
“B.O.B.” music video)
Janelle Monae (the music video for “Dance Apocalyptic,” Dirty

16. Computer mini-movie…)
Yugen Blakrok (the Return of the Astro-Goth album; especially
check out the official music video for “House of Ravens,”
which combines the aesthetics of both science fiction and the
Gothic)
the Black Panther soundtrack (especially the track “Opps”)
Animals as Leaders (especially the first album, and especially
the track “CAFO” and its official music video)
Afrofuturism in cinema:
Let’s face it: recent increased attention to Afrofuturism owes an
awful lot to the recent Marvel film Black Panther. Also, both of
Jordan Peele’s recent horror films, Get Out and Us, both contain
elements of science fiction as well.
1. How does de Crevecoeur characterize the American frontier
as dark and unsettling?
2. According to de Crevecoeur, what is fundamentally un-
American (even anti-American) about slavery?
3. Compare/contrast the grievances against England mentioned
by Paine in COMMON SENSE and by Jefferson in his original
draft of the Declaration of Independence.
4. What are the 2 main reasons for the edits made to Jefferson's
original draft?
5. One of the most surprising features of the beginning of
Equiano’s narrative is his frank discussion of how slavery

17. actually existed within Africa among different tribes. However,
he draws a very clear distinction between West African slavery
and American slavery. Explain.
6. What is the main reason for Equiano’s ultimate decision to
never set foot in America again once he purchases his freedom?
7. Explain the heavy irony that Wheatley creates in her “To the
Right Honourable William, Earl of Dartmouth” poem when
discussing America’s “slavery” to English tyranny.
8. “On Being Brought from Africa to America” is illustrative of
an enduring controversy within the African-American literary
tradition: the Christian religion. Explain.
9. Compare the issues on colonial diplomacy and Native
American relations as discussed among Canessatego, Pontiac,
Logan, and Tecumseh.
10. Explain the Cherokee women’s position as a special case.
Christopher Columbus
· 1451-1506
· born in Genoa, Italy
· developed a plan to find a commercially viable Atlantic route
to Asia; won the support of the Spanish monarchs, Ferdinand
and Isabella, in 1492
· 4 voyages between 1492 and 1504: “discovery” of the “New
World” (the West Indies, Central America, South America) at
San Salvador; actually not the first, but established the first
LASTING European contact with the Americas

18. · The voyages started off great, but degenerated into frustration,
a strained relationship with the Spanish crown, and even arrest
(actually brought back to Spain in chains in 1500).
· The initially friendly relationship between the Taino Indians
in Hispaniola went sour as the settlers Columbus left behind
demanded gold and sexual partners. When Columbus returned
in 1494 (2nd voyage), none of the Europeans were alive.
· 3rd voyage: He returns to Spanish settlers in open rebellion
against him in 1498. A truce was reached at the expense of the
to-be-enslaved Taino Indians.
· 4th voyage: 1502; experienced virtual breakdown; eventually
rescued and brought back, but died shortly after
John Winthrop
· 1588-1649
· born in Groton, England
· Puritan lawyer and leader who helped found the Massachusetts
Bay Colony; chosen governor in 1629
· gave the sermon “A Model of Christian Charity” aboard the
Arbella; lays out the ideals of harmonious Christian community
while also reminding his fellow Puritan emigrants that they
would stand as an example to the world (“a city upon a hill”);
considered a seminal document of AMERICAN
EXCEPTIONALISM
· unlike William Bradford and the Pilgrims, not a Separatist;
wanted to reform the Church of England from within
(particularly of Catholic influences begun wholesale by the
ascension to the throne of Charles I)

19. Roger Williams
· c. 1603-1683
· born in London, England
· banished from the Massachusetts colony by Puritan leaders for
“spreading dangerous ideas,” but left for Rhode Island before
officials could seize him in Salem to ship him back to England
· would become the founder of Providence Plantation (the future
capital of the state), which would act as a welcoming colony of
religious liberty for religious refugees; the first of its kind: a
colony whose very royal charter guaranteed “freedom of
conscience”—foundationally “American” idea, to even later be
included in the 1791 Bill of Rights
· befriended and sheltered with the Narragansett Indians in
Rhode Island
· WHAT GOT HIM IN TROUBLE IN MASSACHUSETTS:
undermined the theocracy’s authority, disputed the legitimacy
of the land title (belongs to the Natives), said that any
“unregenerate” (non-Puritan) person wasn’t required to attend
church or take the oath in a court of law, and proposed a wall of
SEPARATION BETWEEN CHURCH AND STATE
· was himself similar to a “Seeker”: nondenominational, akin to
Quakerism, believing that the will of God is obscure and that no
church has any authority because there is simply no human way
to truly know (awaiting revelation from God himself)
· respected and humanized the Indians, even in his wish to
convert them (not “heathens” or “barbarians”); however, was
deeply disappointed over the Narragansetts’ ultimate decision to
stray from peace and join in King Philip’s War (burning white
settlements in Rhode Island)

20. · was also an early abolitionist
Mary Rowlandson’s A Narrative of the Captivity and
Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson
· c. 1637-1711
· born in Somersetshire, England
· a colonial American woman who was captured and held for 11
weeks (a little over 2 months; Feb. – May of 1676; Lancaster,
Massachusetts) before being ransomed by Native Americans
during King Philip’s War; arguably the most famous victim of
the war
· King Philip’s War: (June 1675 – August 1676)
“King Philip”:Metacomet, Wampanoag chief, second son of
Massasoit (who had helped the Pilgrims!); led a year-long series
of attacks on English colonial settlements across New England
Direct cause:the execution in Plymouth, Massachusetts, of 3 of
Philip’s Wampanoag tribesmen
Indirect causes: Native American starvation and desperation to
retain their lands; a last-ditch effort by the Wampanoags and
their allies to halt further expansion by the colonists
Result: Philip slain; his wife and children sold into slavery in
the West Indies; the end of independent American Indian power

21. in New England; over 1200 colonial houses burned; about 600
English colonials dead; about 300 American Indians dead
· the wife of a Lancaster minister, Joseph Rowlandson
· Her narrative is considered a seminal example of the American
genre of “Indian captivities,” or, more generally, “captivity
narratives”—influential through fictionalization by the likes of
James Fenimore Cooper and William Faulkner.
QUIZZ / DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
1. Through the example of Mary Rowlandson’s work, what
appear to be some consistent themes and subjects of American
“Indian captivity” narratives? (THIS IS NOT A QUESTION,
BUT A NOTE)
· the spiritual, moral, and HUMAN superiority of the captive
(vs. the captor)
· the consolation and strength of the Christian religion and
identity within captivity; mixed blessing from God to be more
appreciative
· the power of PATHOS and SENTIMENT (the sentimental;
sentimentality)—death of wounded 6-year-old daughter
· HOME and HOMECOMING as religious metaphor
2. Though Rowlandson is being truthful about the brutal actions
of the Native Americans involved in King Philip’s War, what
facts are clearly being left out (either deliberately or out of
ignorance)?
(See all of the introductory notes above, at the beginning of this
handout.)

22. Cotton Mather
· 1663-1728
· born in Boston, Massachusetts; the son of Increase Mather;
attended Harvard College
· the heir apparent to the Congregational hierarchy that had
dominated the churches of New England for almost 50 years
· lots of tragedy and disappointment in his life: first 2 wives
died, watched 3rd go insane, only 2 of his 15 children lived
until his death; rejected for presidency of Harvard (father was
president of Harvard)
· has come to represent the worst in Puritan culture given his
own historical accounts; often blamed for the Salem witch trials
(though he never attended any of them)
· THE SALEM WITCH TRIALS: (Feb. 1692 – May 1693)
1. from a wave of religious hysteria (from fear/demonization of
Indians and resulting widespread belief in witchcraft as the
Devil’s means of thwarting the Puritan communal project)
2. resulted in the deaths of 20 innocent people (mostly by
hanging, but also from death in prison); 2 most often
mentioned/best known—Martha Carrier and Tituba
The Wonders of the Invisible World:
· 1692-1693
· Notice the demonization of the Indians and aligning them with
the Devil to promote Puritan (American) exceptionalism; the
Devil trying to thwart Puritanism: “the devil’s territories,” “the

23. heathen”
· the discovery of witchcraft
· apocalyptic; the Devil’s apparent subtlety in probably making
even the INNOCENT confess
· wasn’t actually present; “not as an advocate, but as an
historian”
· the community’s turning on Martha Carrier (even her own
children)
· “This rampant hag, Martha Carrier”; how the Devil had
promised her to be “Queen of the Hebrews”
AMERICAN LITERATURE 1: Beginnings to 1820
IMPORTANT DATES:
· 1450: Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press begins operation.
· 1492: Christopher Columbus sales from Spain and arrives in
the “New World,” at San Salvador in the Bahamas.
· 1501: The Spanish introduce African slaves into the New
World, at Hispaniola in the Caribbean (mostly to replace the
decimated population of Native American slaves).
· 1620: William Bradford and the Pilgrims, having arrived on
the Mayflower, establish Plymouth Plantation in Massachusetts.
· 1630: Puritans under John Winthrop arrive at Massachusetts
Bay. Winthrop addresses the Puritan immigrants aboard the
Arbella, saying that they (and the colony) would be an example

24. to the world, a “city upon a hill.”
· 1728: Cotton Mather dies, symbolically marking the passing
of Puritanism as the colonists had experienced it.
· pretty much all of the 18th century (the 1700s): THE
ENLIGHTENMENT—a general intellectual and philosophical
move away from the primacy of religion in determining law,
politics, and moral rectitude toward a more rational,
sentimental, and secular focus; DEISM; a move toward
“modernity” as we know it
· 1730s: Jonathan Edwards becomes a leading figure in the so-
called “GreatAwakening”—a conservative, Calvinistic, Puritan
backlash against Enlightenment principles.
· 1763: The Boston Tea Party—in response to the Stamp Act of
1764 (exorbitantly taxing all colonial newspapers, legal
documents, and licenses)
· July 4, 1776: The Declaration of Independence
· 1798-1799: Charles Brockden Brown essentially defines the
“American Gothic” (adopting the European Gothic mode to the
American landscape) with 4 quickly written novels—Wieland,
Ormond, Arthur Mervyn, and Edgar Huntly.
CONNECTIONS?
· From the beginning, “discovery” was not limited to the
perspective of the Europeans. The beginnings and
developments of what would become the American identity,
then, were chiefly an intermixture of Native, European, and
African cultures. From the very beginning, it was a hybrid

25. identity.
· The European advantage: steel, gunpowder, and microbes (a
result of two independent ecosystems—smallpox, measles,
typhus, among other diseases)
· Unanimous solidarity among Native Americans against the
encroaching Europeans was not always the case—taking
advantage of their technology and methods against rival tribes
or other personal agendas (the fall of Aztec emperor Montezuma
and the Pequot War of 1637, for example, with the
Narragansetts and the Mohegans having aligned themselves with
the English against the fierce Pequots).
· European atrocities were most often committed as a result of
blundering and miscommunication, from the split between
policy and action. Communications technology of that time had
a lot to do with it; it would often take weeks and even months
for communications to be transmitted between continents.
· The decades-recent invention and implementation of
Gutenberg’s printing press most certainly had a hand in
disseminating interest, documentation, and opinion concerning
New World expeditions, thus directly feeding the machine of
European expansion into America.
· European opinion in the New World was not unanimous either;
there was guilt, protest, disaffection, riots, and mutinies—from
moral conflicts, conflicts of interest, and frustration with the
aforementioned communications bureaucracy. In this lack of
unanimity, of course, lies the seeds of the American Revolution.
· The roots of the often-observed “Puritan” American character
(more cultural than actually religious) and choice of metaphors

26. are typically traced back to the establishment of the Pilgrim and
Puritan colonies.