Years: roughly pre-1607

Major Historical Events: congress breaking treaties with Native Americans (recorded 1871), vision of the prophet in “Ghost Dance Songs,” Wounded Knee Battle (1890) 

Major Authors: Sioux and Arapaho 

Time Period: Pre-Colonialism 

Dates: published in the 1840s & set pre-1607 

Point of View: first person   

Themes: revival, spirits, freedom, hunger, death 

Connection: In “Ghost Dance Songs,” Natives mention their hunger for food due to congress breaking treaties with them. Mooney writes, “I am crying for thirst” (7, 8). The Natives do not have enough food for everyone, so this expression shows their hunger and thirst for proper nutrition. Mooney states, “I have nothing to eat” (9, 10). This quote relates to the breaking of treaties because Natives had their land, but when they put the Indian Removal Act in place, Natives have to move to new ground, and they were not given food for their journey. Natives die because of starvation. 

Years: 1607-1775

Major Historical Events: Boston Massacre (1770), Boston Tea Party (1773), Revolutionary War (1775-1783) 

Major Authors: William Bradford, John Winthrop, Anne Bradstreet
“Colonial Times 1607-1789.” FamilySearch Wiki, https://www.familysearch.org/wiki/en/Colonial_Times_1607-1789   

Time Period: Colonialism 

Dates: published in 1741

Point of View: second person 

Themes: God, Puritanism, belief, sin, redemption

Connection: In “Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God,” sins are unacceptable, which does contradict the actions that happen in the Revolutionary War. Edwards states, “the dreadful pit of the glowing flames of the wrath of God” (2). This means that if a person sins, then God will punish them. This relates to the sins because sins are disgraceful, especially towards God, and he will stop protecting the person. Edwards writes, “You have offended him infinitely” (4). If a person sins, God can not forgive the person, which contradicts the promotion of violence towards the British throughout the Revolutionary War. 

Years: 1776-1820

Major Historical Events: “The Declaration of Independence” (1776), the US Constitution (1789), Bill of Rights (1791) 

Major Authors: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Abigail Adams, Phillis Wheatley
“American History 1776 - 1820 Timeline.” Timetoast Timelines, 2021, www.timetoast.com/timelines/american-history-1776-1820.   

Time Period: Enlightenment 

Dates: published in 1791

Point of View: first person 

Themes: natural law, natural right, reason, improving one's-self, discipline one-self

Connection: During The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, Franklin prides himself on self-improvement, which also connects to the Bill of Rights ratify. Franklin writes, “contrary habits must be broken” (1). Franklin means that breaking bad habits are crucial so that self-improvement can build. This statement connects to self-improvement because Franklin realizes that he must break inadequate patterns to become a better person. Franklin says, “fix it one at a time” (2). Franklin says that it must be slowly and one at a time to improve himself. This connects the Bill of Rights because it improved society one at a time.

Years: 1820-1860

Major Historical Events: Missouri Compromise (1820), Nat Turner's slave insurrection (1831), Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) 

Major Authors: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Greenleaf Whittier, Edgar Allan Poe
“The American Civil War: Important Dates 1820-1865 Timeline.” Timetoast Timelines, 2021 https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/the-american-civil-war-important-dates-1820-1865. 

Time Period: Romanticism / Dark Gothic Romanticism 

Dates: published in 1850 & set in the 1600s

Point of View: third person omniscient 

Themes: alienation, isolation from society, breaking society's rules, guilt, punishment 

Connection: In The Scarlet Letter, punishment is significant but also prevalent in Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Nathaniel Hawthorne writes, “let her cover the mark as she will, the pang of it will be always in her heart” (57). The quote relates to punishment because of how others punish Hester Prynne for her adultery, and she now must live with this A. In this time period, having an A is a punishment of shame. Hawthorne states, “under lock and key, there was a bloody scourge” (175). The quote implies that Dimmesdale whips himself, which is how masters punish slaves in Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Years: 1840-1860

Major Historical Events: The Missouri Compromise (1820), Nat Turner's slave insurrection (1831), Secession (1860)

Major Authors: Emily Dickinson, Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson
“The American Civil War: Important Dates 1820-1865 Timeline.” Timetoast Timelines, 2021 https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/the-american-civil-war-important-dates-1820-1865.

Time Period: Transcendentalism 

Dates: published in 1841 

Point of View: first person 

Themes: self-trust, individuality, free thought, confidence, self-expression 

Connection: From start to finish, "Self Reliance" by Ralph Waldo Emerson, confidence is a primary aspect of the story, which also exists in Nat Turners Slave Insurrection. Emerson writes, “tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words” (2). This connects to confidence because it says to speak confidently and manifest tomorrow. Emerson says, “ashamed of that divine idea which each of us represents” (2). The quote states that different people represent different ideas and do not be ashamed about it, confident about personal beliefs. That idea is present in the slave Insurrection because of the different opinions on each opposing side. 

Years: 1820-1865

Major Historical Events: Battle of Gettysburg (1863), Abraham Lincoln assassination (1865), Civil War (1861-1865)

Major Authors: Frederick Douglass, Olaudah Equiano, Sojourner Truth
“The American Civil War: Important Dates 1820-1865 Timeline.” Timetoast Timelines, 18 Feb. 1820, https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/the-american-civil-war-important-dates-1820-1865.

Time Period: Slave Narrative 

Dates: published in 1845

Point of View: first person 

Themes: abuse, violence, loneliness, re-building, innocence is lost

Connection: Throughout the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Douglass constantly writes about violence, which also is present in The Battle of Gettysburg. Douglass writes, “the louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest” (4). The quote connects to violence because of how the imagery describes the beating of Aunt Hester. Douglass says, “Demby was no more. His mangled body sank out of sight, and blood and brains marked the water” (20). The Gettysburg Battle is known for being violent, which relates to the violence that Mr. Gore portrays upon Demby.

Years: roughly 1901-1950

Major Historical Events: World War I (1914-1918), Great Depression (1929-1939), World War II (1939-1945, America entered 1941).

Major Authors: Ralph Ellison, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, etc.

Time Period: Modernism 

Dates: published in 1925 & set in 1922

Point of View: first person 

Themes: class, wealth, materialism, past nostalgia, disillusionment

Connection: The novel The Great Gatsby shows that elements of wealth and an aspect of World War I are present throughout the story. Nick Carraway writes, "it was a factual imitation of some Hotel de Ville" (7). This connects to wealth because other people talk about Gatsby's wealth and home. Nick says, "Nobody came" (133). Nick refers to Gatsby's funeral, which connects to the historical event because it resembles the sadness left after World War I going into the great depression. “Nobody came” relates to how family members did not come home from the war because they passed away.