1. A Growing NationAmerican Literature 1800-1870

2. By 1800, the United States consisted of sixteen states clustered near the east coast. With Thomas Jefferson’s signing of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803, America began to grow rapidly. Transportation improved to link the states together as canals, turnpikes, railroads, and steamboats emerged.

3. The Growth of Democracy at Home 1800-1840 As the nation grew, so did Americans’ control of their government. In 1828, Andrew Jackson was elected President and became known as “The People’s President”. He focused on the common man as property ownership in order to vote was eliminated. White males dominated. Little attention was paid to females and most African-Americans remained slaves. The most tragic policy of this period was the Indian Removal Act, forcing Native Americans out of their tribal lands and to the West. On The Trail of Tears in 1838, 4,000 Native Americans perished on their journey from Georgia to Oklahoma.

4. Advances in technology spurred social change. Factories sprang up all over the Northeast. The steel plow and reaper allowed the ever Westward expansion to create farmlands across America. But with this new technology came trouble. With factories, came child labor and unsafe working conditions. Women wanted more rights. Abolitionists wanted to end slavery.

5. Literature of the Period Washington Irving Before 1800, no one read writings of Americans, not even other Americans, but that changed as America was dealing with problems with each other. The writers of this time defined the American voice with the primary theme of the quest of the individual to find him or herself. They are classified as Romantics.

6. Romanticism Romantic writers said imagination was more important than reason and intuition more important than fact. The Romantic writers loved nature. Romantic writing highlighted the fantastic aspects of the human experience.

7. Gothic Literature Characteristics The story is set in bleak or remote places. The plot involves macabre or violent incidents. Characters are in psychological or physical torment. A supernatural or other worldly element is often present.