Rationalism

2.11 Rationalism Assessment (100 points) • Define the literary movement and what made it unique - in your own words • Explain why the characteristics of this particular movement make sense given the context of history/culture (explain the cause and effect between history and literature) • Use at least THREE texts we have studied from the time period to help you demonstrate the unique characteristics of this literary movement in'use • Explain this movement's "place" in the grand scheme of American Literature This is graded mainly to assess your knowledge of the content in this unit, but there are still points for organization, formatting, grammar, and citations! Criteria: Rationalism Points Possible Thesis: There is a thesis statement at the END of the introduction that overviews the three pieces that BEST exemplify the literary movement. Introduction: The introduction defines the American literary movement (in their own words), gives the time period, and highlights the connection between A. historical and cultural information specific to this time period, and B. at least THREE characteristics of the popular literature. (Explaining how people's values and life experiences DIRECTLY correlate to what they were interested in reading!) 10 Body Section 1: The section uses at least one text read in class (from this unit) and uses specific examples (direct quotes preferred) to demonstrate one of the characteristics of the literary movement in use. Includes ample analysis - is NOT simply a summary of the story. W → Criteria: Rationalism Points Possible Thess: There is a thesis statement at the END of the introduction that overviews the three pieces that BEST exemplify the literary movement. 5 Introduction: The introduction defines the American literary movement (in their own words), gives the time period, and highlights the connection between A. historical and cultural information specific to this tinie period, and B. at least THREE characteristics of the popular literature. (Explaining how people's values and life experiences DIRECTLY correlate to what they were interested in reading!) 10 Body Section 1: The section uses at least one text read in class (from this unit) and uses specific examples (direct quotes preferred) to demonstrate one of the characteristics of the literary movement in use. Includes ample analysis - is NOT simply a summary of the story. 20 T Conclusion: Includes a restatement of the thesis and discusses the movement's "place" in the grand scheme of American Literature. 10 Professionalism: The essay is submitted on time. Work time was fully utilized in class. The essay is authentic and no unauthorized sources were utilized or used. The paper is logically organized and follows the formatting for a typical MLA essay with headers, page numbers, 12 pt Times New Roman, double-spaced, standard 5 paragraphs, etc. This includes spelling, punctuation, subject-verb agreement, and the exclusion of lst and second person. 5 MLA Conventions: The works cited page, parenthetical citations, headings, and general format follow MLA guidelines and have no or very few errors. (citations are provided - JUST create parenthetical citations WITHIN the paper's body Rationalism and Revolution Background Notes Age of Reason/ Age of Enlightenment in Europe (1700-1799) Rationalism: a literary movement that focused on the belief that human beings can arrive faith, or on intuition.
at truth by using reason rather than by relying on the authority of the past, on religious Rationalists believed in the power of democracy, science, philosophy, reason, and rhetoric, which shines through in their literature 
The literature of this movement, since it was largely scientific, logical, and even political, is mainly made up of essays, speeches, pamphlets, political documents, and narratives. How does it differ from Puritanism? Puritans saw God as actively & mysteriously involved in the workings of the universe, but the Rationalists didn't see it that way. Sir Isaac Newton compared God to a clockmaker... Having created the perfect mechanism of this universe, God then left his creation to run on its own, like a clock. Whereas the Puritans relied on past wisdom, the Bible, and their faith, Rationalists wanted to rely on science and reason, which is reflected in their literature. Basic History: Revolutionary America Age of Enlightenment (1715 - 1789): a philosophical movement that was centered on reason as the primary source of authority, advocating for ideals such as liberty, progress, tolerance, fraternity, constitutional government, and separation of church and state. Some Famous Enlightenment Thinkers Were... Francis Bacon Rene Descartes ("I think, therefore I am") John Locke (Two Treatises of Government heralded the idea of a representative government) Voltaire (first suggested separation of church and state) Jean-Jacques Rousseau (The Social Contract envisioned a world in which all citizens could have a direct influence on the state) Benjamin Franklin (1752 lightning rod experiment) Thomas Paine (Common Sense advocated for American Independence) During the 1700s, scientists made discoveries about the basic nature of phenomena such as gravity, electricity, and heat. Some significant inventions from this era in American history were... bifocals the submarine •。。。。。 the cotton gin Franklyn stoves pianos fire extinguishers lightning rods hot air balloons • The French and Indian War, or Seven Years' War (1756-1763), (as well as the Jacobite uprising in Scotland in the 1740s) was expensive and led to new and unpopular taxes, such as the Tea Act of 1773
The colonists resented their taxation without representation • This resues nanted then toation itch as the eation ta first flown in 1775) and Benjamin Franklin's famous political cartoon "Join or Die" in 1754, which encouraged colonial unity Colonial resistance led to violence in 1770, when British soldiers opened fire on a mob of colonists, killing five men in the Boston Massacre (six were acquitted and two convicted of manslaughter) In 4773, a band of Bostonians (dressed as Mohawk People) dumped 342 chests of tea into Boston Harbor during the Boston Tea Party Parliament then passed a series of measures (known as the Intolerable or Coercive Acts) *** History is all action and reaction! • On April 18, 1775, British troops marched from Boston to Concord. Aile marked the shoteardround the world: that signified the start of the Revolutionary War in the battles of •Lexington and Concord JOIN, or DIE. On July 4, the Continental Congress voted to adopt the Declaration of Independence, drafted by a five-man committee The war and revolution for American independence had officially begun! The war was often difficult. After failing to retake Philadelphia, Washington led his army into winter quarters at Valley Forge, where they struggled to manage a supply crisis while retraining and reorganizing their units. About 1,700 to 2,000 soldiers died from disease, possibly exacerbated by malnutrition.
They even resorted to eating their own horses! Eventually, we did secure victory... Washington defeated Cornwallis in the Battle of Yorktown on October 19th, 1781. The U.S would be formally recognized after the Treaty of Paris, signed in 1783 America's first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, gave the Confederation Congress the power to make rules but not enforce them Alexander Hamilton helped convince Congress to organize a Constitutional Convention in
May of 1787. John Jay, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton wrote 85 persuasive essays in order to rally support for the Constitution. Ratification by 9 of the 13 states enacted the new government on September 17, 1787 What Did They Value? Modesty Practicality, Logic, and Reason Democracy, Liberty, and Political Literacy Ambitiousness Decorum- good taste; decency Charity Living Conditions • One popular style in the 1700s was the Georgian
Colonial home. : They etrer haanearge chimeyinthecenterof the house or two chineys. one on each end. Many Georgian Colonials were built with brick and had white wooden trim. Most lower-class colonials lived in small one or two-room apartments in the cities where they could work, whereas "Middle-class" colonials lived comfortably in the cities in Georgian homes Wealthier colonials could afford standalone Georgian mansions, sometimes on plantations Clothing/Dress Women of all classes wore and worked in corsets or stays and had up to 5 or 6 layers of skirts. Hair was always UP and often covered. Men's fashion consisted of multiple shirts, a collar, jacket, tights, pants, heels, makeup, and powdered wigs (for the wealthy). Colonials made their own clothes from linen and wool; every home had a spinning wheel and a loom, and women sewed and knitted constantly, as cotton cloth would not be readily available until the nineteenth century. Colonial Food Americans grew their own food and ate a great deal of corn-roasted, boiled, and cooked into cornmeal bread and pancakes. Hearty vegetables like squash and beans joined apples, jam, and syrup on the dinner table. Men and boys hunted and fished; rabbit, squirrel, bear, and deer (venison) were common entrees. Given the poor quality of water, many colonials drank cider, beer, and corn whiskey-even the children! Education Boys studied longer (girls, it was believed, needed only to learn to cook and raise children) Lower-class children were often homeschooled, as were girls Schools were uncomfortable; students sat on wooden benches in damp rooms heated by a single fireplace, with all grades 'K-8' and even high school lumped together in one room. Medicine Infant mortality was high, and any sickness usually meant suffering and often death. Colonials relied on folk medicine and "Indian" cures, including herbs, teas, honey, bark, and roots, supplemented with store-bought medicines. 'Bleeding' or 'Bloodletting' (drawing blood from the sick person), a common medical technique stemming from the so-called 'humoral' theory of medicine still in vogue, wherein all body malfunctions originated in an imbalance of one of four body 'humors' or liquids (black bile, yellow bile, blood, and phlegm). Religious Beliefs: Deism Many of the rationalists, including the founding fathers, were known as "Deists" Deism was the belief in the existence of a supreme being, specifically of a creator who does not intervene in the universe. It accepted the existence of a creator based on reason but rejected the belief in a supernatural deity who interacts with humankind. It was not necessarily the Judeo-Christian God: Life for Women They were not allowed to vote, have custody of their children, make or hold money, or own property.« "Coverture laws" meant that married women were legally considered to be part of their husband's property They ran the household, handled finances, oversaw house staff, cooked, cleaned, sewed and raised/taught their children. Colonial women were usually married off at 13 or 14 and would have (on average) up to 8 children Life for Native Americans In the Fort Pitt Affair of 1763, British soldiers used blankets belonging to smallpox patients and distributed them to the Native population as biological warfare, with the intention of starting an outbreak. Smallpox is estimated to have wiped out around 25% of Native peoples. Native nations joined the French during the French and Indian War to defend their land. Many First Nations fought WITH the British during the American Revolution to stop
American expansion. Life for Black Americans • 1711 New York opens market for the Atlantic slave trade • Between 1525 and 1866, 12.5 MILLION Africans were shipped to the Americas to be enslaved • In Africa, slavery had existed for years largely as a political punishment. Enslaved people in many African kingdoms could often own property, marry, and even work their way up the social ladder to gain freedom. • Once the trans-Atlantic slave trade began, kingdoms began to enslave more and more people to trade for supplies like weapons with Europeans. • The Atlantic Passage (or Middle Passage) was notorious for its overcrowded, unsanitary conditions on slave ships, in which hundreds of Africans were packed tightly into tiers below decks for a voyage of about 5,000 miles. • They were typically chained together, and usually, the low ceilings did not permit them to sit upright. • The heat was intolerable, and the oxygen levels were so low candles couldn't burn • Historians estimate that between 15-25% died aboard slave ships. PLAN OF LOWER DECK WITH THE STOWAGE OF 292 SLAVES 130 OF THESE BEINC STOWED UNDER THE SHELVES AS SHEWN IN FIGURE D 4 FIGURE 3 RONWHY เสินสมส • People were auctioned off alongside produce and livestock, separated from their families forever, and forced into slavery • The enslaved were forced into terrible living conditions where they would either perform physical labor or become house slaves, performing domestic duties in the home. • Slave laws prevented enslaved individuals from owning land or property, gathering in groups, getting married, voting, following their own religions, and MUCH more. • This form of slavery is referred to as "chattel slavery," as enslaved people were treated in the Americas like animals. II. Body paragraph 1 Topic sentence for this paragraph: The first characteristic that made (movement name here) Rationalism was (1st characteristic) (type of text here) title of text) by (author or creator name here) unique esas lear which is demonstrated in the Adam 5 PLEASE SELECT THE RIGHT "TYPE" OF TEXT - DO NOT CALL A SPEECH A STORY! MAKE SURE YOU PUT THE TITLE OF SMALL PIECES IN "QUOTES", AND TITLES OF BIG PIECES IN ITALICS! In your essay, HERE is where you put CONTEXT for your reader BEFORE you analyze • An explanation of the characteristic in your own words. Use a term? Define it! • A 1-sentence summary of the text in your own words Both of these things will help give context to your reader... NEVER assume your reader is as familiar with the topic as you are! Textual evidence: (You should have at least TWO examples - direct quotes are BEST - of the author using said characteristic in their writing) Example #1: Example #2: You MAY simply put the location of the quote within the reading, as you will have access to the texts during the assessment period. In your essay, this is where you MUST explain how BOTH exampies you provided from the text demonstrate the characteristic you're focusing on in this paragraph. Think of it as you using a text from the time period to help you better explain the characteristic, and by extension, the literary movement. It's not enough to simply explain what the quote is saying, OR to simply state that the exampies demonstrate the characteristic... you need to EXPLAIN HOW they demonstrate that characteristic. Body paragraph 2 Topic sentence for this paragraph: The second characteristic that made (movement name here). unique was (characteristic here) - which is demonstrated in the (type of text here) (title of text) by (author or creator name here) PLEASE SELECT THE RIGHT "TYPE" OF TEXT - DO NOT CALL A SPEECH A STORY! MAKE SURE YOU PUT THE TITLE OF SMALL PIECES IN "QUOTES", AND TITLES OF BIG PIECES IN ITALICS! writing) Example #1: Example #2: one in their YOU MAY SIMPLY PUT THE LOCATION OF THE QUOTE WITHIN THE READING, AS YOU WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THE TEXTS DURING THE ASSESSMENT PERIOD In your essay, this is where you MUST explain how BOTH examples you provided from the text demonstrate the characteristic you're focusing on in this paragraph. Think of it as you using a text from the time period to help you better explain the characteristic, and by extension, the literary movement. It's not enough to simply explain what the quote is saying, OR to simply state that the examples demonstrate the characteristic... you need to EXPLAIN HOW they demonstrate that characteristic. V. Conclusion In review, what is the literary movement? You may restate the thesis here and should consider going into more depth. What made this literary movement really unique? Try to demonstrate you understood the literary movement, why it happened during this time, and why it was important. • Include ONE - TWO sentences where/how this specific movement fits into the grand scheme of American literature by comparing it to the previous movements we've studied (as a way of explaining how THIS particular literary movement was inspired). • Take some notes below that might help you make a PREDICTION about where American literature is heading and what the next literary movement might be ^Consider this BEFORE assessment day, so you have a plan of what to say when it comes time to type^ Movement: Ration a lism& Riolution Your Name: ally linder English 11/American Literature Written Assessment Outline ***You CAN use this on the day you type the assessment. Online Outlines are NOT ALLOWED, unless fulfilling an IEP!!! *** This outline must be submitted with your essay! I. Introduction Definition of the literary movement we're currently studying (IN YOUR OWN WORDS): Kotionalismisa moremest where reason and experance and not religious beliefs should be The Teasoning for yar actions Time Period (The time period from your notes on day 1 of the unit): (1700-1799 Explanation as to what was happening during this time to help better explain the literary movement you're writing about This should be the history + culture of the time period THAT YOU BELIEVE RELATES TO or HELPS EXPLAIN the literary movement - don't choose random facts! Really help your readers understand the literary movement and why it happened specifically during this time. Explain it more in-depth. Important historical events or cultural information that you think influenced what people were writing/reading about (These could come from the background slideshow and/or reading, but you CAN also give other examples we didn't discuss in class - maybe things you talked about in history class!): The "characteristic" of the literary movement that "makes sense" given the historical/cultural context you just listed in column #1 (These characteristics should come from the background slideshow/guided notes): congress voted to adopt the This helps explain... Portrayed america and her fourte as leaders of the free world and harbingers of liberty and Justice This helps explain... emPhasized truth reason and science This helps explain... focused on themes of Progress american character and democratic utopia Thesis Statement (Last sentence of the introduction): Three key characteristics that made (name of literary movement here) Rationa sm unique were (list 3 characteristics - these should come from our notes... don't just make them up) Partialed aurien and her fenders em phasized trush reason and facused on themes of Progies as leaders of the free world and Scienet american character anc and harbingers of liberty and democrnKe topia JUSTICE