Early 20th Century Essay

During the 1930's American citizens witnessed a breakdown of the Democratic and free enterprise way of life. The government saw that the free enterprise system was failing. The New Deal increased the government's regulation and intervention and the economic system, thus temporarily abandoning the capitalism system and turning toward socialism to find the answer. The answer... the New Deal. Socialism is usually thought of as a form of government that advocates public ownership and public control of wealth (Britannica Jr. Encyclopedia 1980, p.231).

The Colonial Period in American Literature was a time period that was marked by two very distinct

The 1920s exemplified a new era of wealth, prosperity, and change. The 1920s were a time of social changes, cultural conflicts, and political change. New ways of life, including the flapper lifestyle, played a big role in shaping the new generation. Machines and inventions fabricated more free time, while simultaneously higher wages were a result of the expanding prosperity. However, this prosperity brought downsides and corruption. For example, alcohol was prohibited in the 1920s. Many who opposed this law went to speakeasies, illegal bars that sold alcohol. The Teapot Dome Scandal, where Albert Bacon Fall decided to lease his controlled land as supervisor of the naval oil reserve lands for millions of dollars, resulted in a loss

In the decade of the nineteen-nineties, there was a trend of creating things that were environmentally friendly and healthier for people. For example, washers and dryers in the nineteen-nineties were made to include a horizontal axis washer which reduced the amount of water being used in each wash. Even food that was made in the nineteen-nineties was focused on being made with healthy ingredients. Almost anything and everything in the nineteen-nineties was based on achieving the image of health for the environment and people living in America. In the nineteen-nineties, cuisine and home appliances, and chefs focused their attention on creating a healthy

What was writing like while the Indian Removal Act was going on? The Trail of Tears? Revolt in the young United States? Writing during the 1800’s reflected what was going on at the time. What was going on at that time you may ask, war was going on. War in a country battling other forces and themselves, all while attempting to set up a functioning government. Take the famous writer Edgar Allan Poe for example, most of his works reflect the war and devastation going on in the 1800’s, including some of his most famous works like “The Raven”, “Annabel Lee”, and “Ulalume” which all fall into a literary time period known as American Gothicism. “Ulalume” by Edgar Allan Poe is a wonderful example of the Gothicism Time Period due to its use of the characteristics of gloomy settings, intense emotions, and mythology.

The period of the late eighteenth century and beginning of the nineteenth was cosidered the Romantic era in Europe and in America. This movement was a large scale rebellion against the Englightment period ideas where science and logic ruled the literary arts. Authors took several approaches on how to convey to the readers social and metaphysical opinions through the tone in a series of novels published. Tone is apparent in much of the American Romantic era writing including that of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allan Poe.

The twentieth century was a time of change for virtually every aspect of America, from social norms to economic power. People of every type were being affected, these changes were perfect material for writers. Every person had a different view on what was happening, and as a result a huge variety of stories and literature were produced dealing with the best and the worst of what those changes brought. Two famous writers of the time, William Faulkner and John Steinbeck, embodied that variety perfectly. The writers, though they had very much in common, also had a large number of differences.

In 1957 there was a volcanic eruption off the Azorean island of Faial and a series of earthquakes that displaced many families from their homes. The U.S. Azorean Relief Act in the summer of 1958 allowed for the entry of 4,811 Portuguese (p.3). Pap (1996), for example, estimates that half of the Azorean population in 1965 had personal or family ties in the US. The establishment of Portuguese-speaking communities before 1921 thus encouraged, enabled, and channeled post-1957 migration. The peak years for Portuguese migration to the US were thus 1967-1970, when immigrants averaged over 13,000 per year (Bailey, 2000).

Literature was and still is a very important piece in American history. “American literature was shaped by the history of the country that produced it.” The 1900s was an important time during history. The early 1900s was consumed by World War I. Many people were affected by the war and the lasting impact it left on them, so many writings were about the war. These people are sometimes considered the “Lost Generation”. Many American writers went to Europe and wrote from there because they were so inspired to join the literary culture of foreign cities, like Paris for example. However, some American authors believed that if you wanted true American literature you would need to be in America. These nationally-rooted people were called regionalists.

Throughout the centuries of time, American literature has been characterized and shaped by the writers of the then present time. Each century seemed to have its own rules of what the concept of literature was. In the early years of American writing, the literature standards were strict; focusing more on the structure and content. This strict way of writing soon gave way to a type of literature that was allowed a looser form and focused on the individual and their feelings rather than the social aspect of life. This time period of literature came to be known as the Age of Romanticism. Throughout the Age of romanticism many new literary elements were introduced. One such element was Theme. Writers that typically used theme to their advantage during the age of Romanticism were the abolitionists. Writers ,such as Frederick Douglass, used theme in their works to express to the reader how they felt during slavery. By using certain structure and points of view, the author plays to the readers emotions by giving them a picture through the first person point of view. From a formal standpoint, Romanticism experienced a steady loosening of the rules of artistic expression that were saturated during the earlier times. The high-flown language of the previous generation’s poets was replaced with a more natural intonation and verbiage.

The 1860s-1890s were exceptionally eventful years in America. Containing the Civil war, migration westward, and transition into the Gilded Age, this time period ushered in many changes in American thinking. Among these is the transition from romantic literature to realistic literature. Broadly defined as "the faithful representation of reality" or "verisimilitude,” realism is different from romanticism in the fact that it focuses on reality and characters, rather than the exaggerated and anomalous (CITATION). Realistic writing was rejected by many at the time, as the stories often challenged the common way of thinking.

      The period in American Literature known as the American Renaissance was a time of great change in our country. It was an age of westward expansion and social conflict. Americans were divided on such volatile issues as slavery, reform and sectionalism that ultimately led to the Civil War. Emerging from this cauldron of change came the voice of a new nation - a nation with views and ideals all its own. The social, economic, technological and demographic revolution that was taking place at this time set the stage for a new era of writers. The voice of the nation found a home, first, on the pages of the newspaper. It was there that the hopes, fears and political views of Americans were

Since 1945, the United Staes has gone under serval cultural and political changes. These changes has helped our nation grow, adapt, and develop into the strongest country in the world. Several of these changes include civil rights, women rights, and also political changes such as the various types of republicans and democrats that have sprout up since the 40's. American literature is one of if not the biggest influence for these changes. Since television was still developing and the Internet wasn't even a dream yet, literature is what connected everybody and what helped people change America for the better. American literature also developed quickly and heavily during this time era. The fact that United States has a diverse population many

The Civil War and the Industrialization of America were historic to the rise of the realistic literary period. These events influenced realism writers ' works

The 18th century was a time of discovery, and the age which inherited many of the renaissance philosophical ideals. During this time period, the enlightenment had just culminated, and writers wished for a deeper and brighter style which gave birth to many movements such as romanticism and transcendentalism. This time period came to shape the identity of "young America". The nation had been born not too long ago, and this innovative stage of literature gave people a new sense of self-worth and inner exploration. It is widely known, literature has a very strong effect on society. Those genres of literature changed the way in which individuals came to see the world, and the main reason why these three styles had so much effect was due to their strong connotation, slightly controversial style and unique sense of connection to nature. This peculiar combination of artistic writing was the cornerstone and backbone of many influential movements.