Literary and Cultural
Developments in the
Early United States

By the end of the eighteenth century, the American Revolution had only briefly united a population that, to that point, had identified more as British subjects than as a single nation or culture. A number of writers, intellectuals, and artists hoped to change this situation. They worked at the intersection of education, language, history, fiction, and mythmaking to help create a uniquely American culture and identity during the decades immediately following the establishment of the United States. Writers such as Mason Locke Weems used stories rooted in history—often more romantic than accurate—to make arguments about American character. As someone who played such a key role in many of the important events leading up to the nation’s founding, Benjamin Franklin could use his own story as an example of what it meant to be an American. The fiction of writers such as Washington Irving contributed to a nascent American literary tradition as well. Similarly, the artist Samuel Jennings used his paintings to show what he believed America meant and the path the country should take in the future. And nobody did more than the educator Noah Webster to shape the language Americans spoke.

As you examine the following sources, consider how each author contributed to American literature and culture and to the idea of American identity.