Freedom, always a main concern of Americans and their way of life, was what prompted even the earliest American literature. The Puritans, who fled England to gain religious freedom, wrote about their beliefs and their way of life. To show their beliefs, writers like Jonathon Edwards and John Winthrop wrote things that appealed to the average Puritan, but today we see these beliefs as a little overbearing and controlling. Jonathon Edwards, who wrote "Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God," was considered to be the last of the great Puritan preachers, but his "hellfire and brimstone" approach to writing and preaching led to the decline of Puritanism. As for John Winthrop, he wrote, in "A Speech to the General Court," about the civil laws and the courts of the Puritan Era. His Puritan belief

Although the Puritans portrayed their freedom of religion excellently through their writing, America was still under British rule. The 1700's changed the American way of life through writers like Thomas Jefferson and Thomas Paine. They risked their lives to write things like "The Declaration of Independence" and The Crisis. In this time of great debate Thomas Paine said, "These are the times that try men's souls." Jefferson wrote that there are "certain unalienable rights: and "that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." To write these things at such a time of change for American proved that we had really become a nation.

A thing called transcendentalism changed many American's viewpoints during this time period. Transcendentalists believe that the truths of being and the universe lie outside the reach of the senses and are grasped through intuition. Ralph Waldo Emerson and later Henry David Thoreau were the most well known transcendentalists of the time. They taught intuition through their writing and through their travels. Their style were thought provoking and started to change America's mind.

s came through in his belief of obedience when he said that man should submit to civil laws.

Most writing during this time focused on the everyday life of the people who wrote is and few poets emerged. Of note, though, is Anne Bradstreet who wrote "To My Dear and Love Husband." In her poem, Bradstreet expresses her emotions and feeling, and she is generally known for her use of extravagant language.

The twentieth century also saw the publication of many theatrical works. Arthur Miller, Robert Lee, and Alfred Uhry published their plays, all about the strength of Ame

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