• ABOUT
  • SPEAKING SCHEDULE
  • PROGRAM TOPICS INDEX
  • DEEPER DIVES 1-20
    • 1. THE AUDACIOUS NELLY BLY
    • 2. GODS AND MONSTERS
    • 3. WILLA CATHER
    • 4. SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE
    • 5. TRUMAN CAPOTE
    • 6. RUTH BADER GINSBURG
    • 7. JOHN SINGER SARGENT
    • 8. BIRDS: DINOSAURS AMONG US
    • 9. GRIMM TALES
    • 10. UNDERGROUND RR & WM STILL
    • 11. CLEOPATRA
    • 12. BLACK SCIENTISTS WE SHOULD KNOW
    • 13. AFR. AMER. IN SPACE
    • 14. TONI MORRISON
    • 15. LANGSTON HUGHES
    • 16. MLK: UNKNOWN THINGS
    • 17. HARRIET TUBMAN
    • 18. SOJOURNER TRUTH
    • 19. BAYARD RUSTIN
    • 20. MARY ANNING
  • DEEPER DIVES 21-40
    • 21. FRIDA KAHLO
    • 22. HUMAN JOURNEY: SEX STONE AGE
    • 23. HUMAN JOURNEY: MIGRATION
    • 24. A CHARLES DICKENS CHRISTMAS
    • 25. FIFTEEN HOLIDAY JEWELS
    • 26. SANTA CLAUS: THE BIOGRAPHY
    • 27. FOUNDING WRITERS, PART ONE
    • 28. FOUNDING WRITERS, PART TWO
    • 29. THE REAL THANKSGIVING
    • 30. HAUNTED HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN
    • 31. QUAKES, VOLCANOES, TSUNAMIS
    • 32. AGATHA CHRISTIE
    • 33. CHANGING PERSPECTIVES 5 WOMEN
    • 34. CHANGING PERSPECTIVES 5 Books
    • 35. CHANGING PERSPECTIVES Verne & Wells
    • 36. WOMEN OF THE STARS
    • 37. WINDOWS TO NATURE
    • 38. EARLY MAMMALS
    • 39. 15,000 BCE: THIS IS YOUR LIFE
    • 40. OUR NEANDERTHAL COUSINS
  • DEEPER DIVES 41-50
    • 41. GEORGE ORWELL
    • 42. TARZAN & CARTER: SUPERHEROES
    • 43. CHARLES DARWIN
    • 44. ROSWELL & BEYOND...
    • 45. MARY SHELLEY
    • 46. UNSUNG CIVIL RIGHTS HEROES
    • 47. THE SALEM WITCHES
    • 48. A WORLD OF DINOSAURS
    • 49. T.rex AND ITS FAMILY
    • 50. THE HOLIDAYS UNWRAPPED
  • DEEPER DIVES 51-70
    • 51. SENECA FALLS LEGACY
    • 52. JILL TARTER & THE SEARCH FOR E.T.
    • 53. NIKOLA TESLA: LIGHTNING MAN
    • 54. BANNED IN AMERICA
    • 55. VAN GOGH
    • 56. HEDY LEMAR
    • 57. E. R. BURROUGHS
    • 61 and 62. NEVER TOO EARLY/LATE
    • 63. THE SILK ROAD
    • 64. THE SIXTY-MINUTE UNIVERSE
    • 65. FAILURE? SAYS WHO?
    • 66. ELEANOR ROOSEVELT
    • 67. ALLEN GINSBERG
    • 68. QUEEN BOUDICA
    • 69. EINSTEIN
    • 70. JUDY GARLAND
  • DEEPER DIVES 71-80
    • 71. SUMMER OF 1969
    • 72 FREDERICK DOUGLAS
    • 73 THE SONNET
    • 74 JACK LONDON
    • 75 ROBERT FROST
    • 76 THE FOUR BRONTES
    • 77 WE ARE THE MARTIANS
    • 78 FLY ME TO THE MOON
    • 79 TENNESSEE WILLIAMS
    • 80 EDGAR ALLAN POE
  • DEEPER DIVES 81-97
    • 81 CHARLES DICKENS
    • 82 SUSAN B ANTHONY
    • 83 MARK TWAIN
    • 84 JACK THE RIPPER
    • 85 WOMEN SCIENTISTS YOU SHOULD KNOW
    • 86 IMAGINARY WORLD JULES VERNE
    • 87 KING ARTHUR
    • 88 STOLEN
    • 89 H G WELLS
    • 90. CASANOVA
    • 91. HUMAN ORIGINS
    • 92. SEVEN NOBEL WOMEN
    • 93. WHAT'S THE BUZZ?
    • 94. MONET'S GARDEN
    • 95. O'KEEFE: FLOWERS, SKULLS, DESERT
    • 96. MICHELANGELO: POETRY
    • 97. STONEWALL HERITAGE
    • 98. AMNH: 34M TREASURES
  • ENG. ROMANTICISM
    • INTRO and PEDECESSORS
    • WORDSWORTH
    • COLERIDGE
    • BYRON
    • PERCY SHELLEY
    • KEATS
  • OUR SOLAR SYSTEM
    • SUN
    • MERCURY
    • VENUS
    • EARTH & MOON
    • MARS & MOONS
    • ASTEROID BELT
    • JUPTER & MOONS
    • SATURN & MOONS
    • URANUS & MOONS
    • NEPTUNE & MOONS
    • KUIPER BELT
    • PLANET 9
    • OORT CLOUD
  • WRITING
  • ART
  • RESUME

FOUNDING WRITERS: The Gentlemen

  • Between 1600 and 1800, a remarkable group of men and women helped to found the thirteen colonies and, eventually, the United States. While early settlers were often occupied with the daunting day-to-day business of survival, and later colonists--especially as the Revolution approached--tried to navigate the often dangerous political waters that could make daily life risky, several of these hearty, brave souls found time to write. Early works tended to be journals and narratives, but a few let their imaginations soar and wrote poetry and fictional narratives. The later 18th century saw a decided shift towards political and social concerns: Freedom from British Rule, the Constitution, Slavery, and Women’s Rights were frequently the topics of brilliant fiction, non-fiction, and poetry.

  • Michael Wigglesworth (1631-1705) The Day of Doom
  • William Bradford (1590-1657) Of Plymouth Plantation
  • Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
  • Edward Taylor (1644?-1729): Poetry
  • Thomas Paine (1739-1809) Common Sense; Age of Reason
  • Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) The Almanack; The Autobiography
  • Olaudah Equiano (1745?-1797) The Life of Olaudah Equiano
  • Philip Freneau (1752-1832) Poetry

Recommended Reading

Suggested Reading

John Smith (1580-1631) A Description of New England John Cotton (1584-1652) God’s Promise to His Plantations John Winthrop (1587-1649) A Model of Christian Charity Roger Williams (1613-1683) The Bloudy Tenent Michael Wigglesworth (1631-1705) The Day of Doom William Bradford (1590-1657) Of Plymouth Plantation Samuel Sewall (1652-1730) The Diary Cotton Mather (1633-1728) Memorable Providences Robert Beverley (1673-1722) The History of Virginia Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God Edward Taylor (1644?-1729): Poetry Jupiter Hammon (1711-1806) Address to Negroes of NYS Thomas Jefferson (1734-1826) The Declaration of Independence Thomas Paine (1739-1809) Common Sense; Age of Reason Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) The Almanack; The Autobiography Olaudah Equiano (1745?-1797) The Life of Olaudah Equiano Philip Freneau (1752-1832) Poetry
William Bradford
  • William Bradford: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Bradford_(governor)
  • William Bradford: https://www.history.com/topics/colonial-america/william-bradford
  • William Bradford: http://mayflowerhistory.com/bradford-william
  • Of Plimoth Plantation (background): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Plymouth_Plantation
  • Of Plimoth Plantation (complete text): https://www.gutenberg.org/files/24950/24950-h/24950-h.htm
• 1630 Bradford begins writing “Of Plimoth Plantation,” a detailed history of the founding of Plymouth Colony and the lives of the colonists from 1621 to 1647. Bradford writes his last notes in the volume in 1650.• 1657-ca. 1775 Manuscript volume remains in Bradford’s family, who allow it to be used by historians and clergymen to document the history of the colony. Last known location is the library of the Old South Church, Boston; the volume is presumably removed by British soldiers during the American Revolution.• 1855 Volume rediscovered in England, in the library of the Bishop of London.• 1897 Volume is returned to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; State Library is given custody. Facsimile edition of entire volume is published.• 2012-2014 Massachusetts State Library secures funding to conserve and digitize the manuscript and to make a digital version available to the public.• 2019 State Library acquires new exhibition case with enhanced security features for display of Library holdings; will be used for short-term display of the Bradford manuscript to commemorate Plymouth's 400th Anniversary at a future date.
Michael Wigglesworth
  • Michael Wigglesworth: https://www.pbs.org/outofthepast/past/p1/wigg.html
  • Michael Wigglesworth: https://www.poemhunter.com/michael-wigglesworth/biography/
  • The Day of Doom: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_Doom
  • The Day of Doom (complete text): https://www.gutenberg.org/files/56053/56053-h/56053-h.htm
  • Edward Taylor: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/edward-taylor
  • Edward Taylor: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward_Taylor
  • Selected poems by Edward Taylor: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/edward-taylor#tab-poems
  • NYU Lecture about American Puritanism, including Taylor (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rReaWSIzmUs
Jonathan Edwards
  • Jonathan Edwards: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Edwards_(theologian)
  • Jonathan Edwards: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Jonathan-Edwards
  • Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (background): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinners_in_the_Hands_of_an_Angry_God
  • Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God (text): http://edwards.yale.edu/archive?path=aHR0cDovL2Vkd2FyZHMueWFsZS5lZHUvY2dpLWJpbi9uZXdwaGlsby9nZXRvYmplY3QucGw/Yy4yMTo0Ny53amVv
  • NYU lecture about Edwards and the Enlightenment (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJwSBJCxaRo
Benjamin Franklin
  • Benjamin Franklin: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin
  • Benjamin Franklin: https://www.biography.com/scholar/benjamin-franklin
  • The Almanack: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poor_Richard%27s_Almanack
  • The Autobiography: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20203/20203-h/20203-h.htm
  • Walter Isaacson on Franklin (University of Pennsylvania [video]): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpNcBBi4gFo
Thomas Paine
  • Thomas Paine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Paine
  • Thomas Paine: https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/thomas-paine
  • The Age of Reason: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Age_of_Reason
  • The American Crisis: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_American_Crisis
  • The Rights of Man: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rights_of_Man
  • Common Sense: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_Sense

Olaudah Equiano
  • Olaudah Equiano: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olaudah_Equiano
  • Olaudah Equiano: https://www.britannica.com/biography/Olaudah-Equiano
  • Narrative (background): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Interesting_Narrative_of_the_Life_of_Olaudah_Equiano
  • Narrative (text): https://www.gutenberg.org/files/15399/15399-h/15399-h.htm
Equiano's World (UK organization): http://equianosworld.org/index.php#home The Equiano Society: https://equiano.uk/the-equiano-society/
Philip Freneau
  • Philip Freneau: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/philip-freneau
  • Philip Freneau: https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/american-literature-biographies/philip-freneau
  • Selection of Poems: https://www.poemhunter.com/philip-freneau/poems/
  • The Influence of Freneau: https://www.jstor.org/stable/4171903?seq=1#metadata_info_tab_contents
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