Founding Writers: The Gentlemen

Overview

Adapted from ThoughtCo, Cliffs Notes, Wikipedia
Prominent male writers of the American colonial period (1607–1775) were primarily defined by religious, historical, and political writing, with key figures including John Winthrop, Cotton Mather, Benjamin Franklin, William Bradford, and John Smith. Their works established the early American literary tradition through diaries, histories, sermons, and early political pamphlets. Key Colonial Period Writers (1607–1765) • John Winthrop: First governor of Massachusetts Bay Colony, known for his journal and the sermon "A Model of Christian Charity," which introduced the "City upon a Hill" concept. • Cotton Mather: A prolific Puritan minister in Boston who published over 450 works, including Magnalia Christi Americana (1702), covering New England's religious history. • William Bradford: Longtime governor of Plymouth Colony and author of Of Plimoth Plantation, the primary account of the Pilgrims' journey. • John Smith: Explorer and leader of the Virginia colony, known for The Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles. • Edward Taylor: A Puritan pastor recognized as one of the best poets of the period, though his work was not published until 1937. • Roger Williams: Founder of Rhode Island and a proponent of religious freedom, known for The Bloody Tenent of Persecution. • Jonathan Edwards: A pivotal theologian and philosopher known for his sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God". Late Colonial/Revolutionary Transition Writers • Benjamin Franklin: While his most famous writing extends into the Revolutionary era, his early works like Poor Richard's Almanack defined the 18th-century colonial mind. • William Byrd II: Virginia planter who wrote The History of the Dividing Line, capturing life and culture in the Southern colonies. • Philip Morin Freneau: Known as the "Poet of the American Revolution," he began writing in the late colonial period. These writers moved from documenting the survival of the colonies to setting the stage for the intellectual shift toward Enlightenment ideas and revolution.

Recommended Media

1. William Bradford

2. Michael Wigglesworth

3. Edward Taylor

Plimoth
Wigglesworth Day of Doom
Taylor manuscript

4. Johnathan Edwards

5. Thomas Paine

6. Benjamin Franklin

Edwards Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God
Paine Rights of Man
Franklin Almanack

7. Olaudah Equiano

8. Philip Freneau

Honorable Mention

John Smith
John Cotton
John Winthrop
Roger Williams
Cotton Mather
Samuel Sewall
Robert Beverley
Jupiter Hammon
Thomas Jefferson