Periods of American Literature: 1607-1776: Colonial Period . Readership increased significantly and the 1850s saw a number of immensely popular novels. Although this literature was not actually written down, this was considered a type of literature called orature. Prior to 1700, American literature described colonization, sermons, and captivity narratives. American Literature Timeline Period Dates Period Name Period Characteristics Famous Authors and Works Arrived 40,000 - 20,000 B.C Native Americans 1. Print; Main. Characteristics: Focuses on historical events, daily life, moral attitudes (Puritanism), political unrest . While the British literary scene at the turn of the new millenium is crowded and varied, the authors still fall into the categories of modernism and postmodernism. Create a Timeline Now; American Literary Movements. All of this literature was through oral communication. 1528-1536 A member of the Narvaez expedition, Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca is shipwrecked first near … American Romanticism(1830 to 1865) American romanticism was predominantly fiction, rather than poetry. 2. A. Brief Timeline of American Literature and Events 1820-1900. However, with the passage of time the Modern era may be reorganized and expanded. Use stories to teach moral lessons … 1500-1649: Political and Social History: Literature: 1500-1549: 1512: Spanish Laws of Burgos forbid enslavement of Indians and advocate Christian conversion 1514: Bartolome de las Casas petitions Spanish crown on behalf of Native Americans 1519-1521 Cortes's conquest of Aztecs in Mexico. Oral literature: epic narratives, creation myths, stories, poems, songs. Colonial Period 1620 - 1750. Democratic utopia C. Use of reason D. History as an act of personal and national self-assertion Famous Authors and Works: 1775: "Speech to the Virginia Convention" - Patrick Henry 1776: "The Declaration of Independence" - Thomas Jefferson 1776: "Common Sense", 1794: "The Age of Reason" - Thomas Paine Many of American literature's most well-known writers emerged during this time. 1832: Victorian(1832 to 1901) Victorian literature dates to the period of Queen Victoria's reign. This era in American literature is responsible for notable first works, such as the first American comedy written for the stage—"The Contrast" by Royall Tyler, written in 1787—and the first American Novel—"The Power of Sympathy" by William Hill, written in 1789. Third in the four-generation Mather dynasty of Massachusetts Bay, he wrote at length of New England in over 500 books and pamphlets. Brief Timeline of American Literature and Events ... Frederick Douglass, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave ; American Whig Review (1848-52) 1846: 3 May. The presentation on this page is an easy to follow timeline that walks a reader or student through the great authors and events in American Literature, providing a historical context and overview. National mission and American character B. The first American Literature began with Native Americans. 1765-1790: The Revolutionary Age Text-only version. William Bradford's Of Plymouth Plantation is about the settlement at Plymouth, Massachusetts. American literature is literature predominantly written or produced in English in the United States of America and its preceding colonies.Before the founding of the United States, the British colonies on the eastern coast of the present-day United States were heavily influenced by English literature.The American literary tradition thus began as part of the broader tradition of English literature. 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