AMERICAN WRITINGS UP TO 1620.

This writings inherit forms and stiles of welsh, Irish, English settles and also other Europeans. We know that the
British successfully landed and established in North America in 1610 and 1620; Massachusetts, New England and Virginia.
Before that, there were other European nations that also participated in the colonization of North America. The French
landed in today’s Quebec. The Dutch landed at the Hudson River and they founded he city of new York. The Germans in
Pennsylvania… and the Spaniards landed in Florida. This is the time of the colonization so there is no time to write so there
is no “literature” as we know it.

“Early American Writings” does not include the Native American literature which was oral. All European nations
landed and established settlements before the English so we have to have the understanding that there is literature in their
own literature.

The literary consequences of the “Discovery of America”: Cristobal Colón was followed by the Portuguese and the
French and the brutish. The first expeditions were unsuccessful. They had bad weather. Colón was not the first to step on
the American continent. The Vikings were first. They didn’t established permanent settlements, they were there only to
explore. The Europeans that followed Colon were successful. From the Caribbean islands, the Spaniards and Portuguese
will continue the expedition to the central America.

The colonization’s by the Spaniards were intense and aggressive under the realm of Charles V (1520-1540). By the
1550s we have that the Spanish and the Portuguese have explored interior regions.

The literature of this period: there are many writings about the European exploration and settlements in America.
This is because the printing industry which was born in the middle of 15th century. The first materials were letters and
reports of what they saw and did in America. We find tales of the wonders and marbles of the new world, about the
landscapes, vegetation, fruits, clothes… the scripts of the new world to catch the attention of the reader and let him know/
imagine what it to be in America is.

Why is it possible to colonize and to stablish in America? The writings of this explorers is going to make other
dream about start a new life in the new world. Thanks to the printing industry, the letters and writings are going to travel
all over the world and translated to French, Italian; Dutch… religion is going to be a factor to escape from European
intolerance. The national ambition to settle down in the new world is going to be triggered by the writings.

Native American literature relies in orality and memory but it has been lost: it was either destroyed by European or
forgotten because of its orality.

There is confrontation between the European and the natives. The conquers were ferocious; the natives were not
prepared for the European conquers; the European had guns to kill them. Europeans brought diseases to America. Because
of that there was a declining labor so Africans were brought to America.

There are documents to set up policies written from Europe to America but also from America to Europe. The
conquers had to explain their actions in America. When the first explorers discover and destroy native Americans, they
have to explain why they did whay they did. There was a miscommunication because of the good intentions and policies
and the bad actions, crimes, sins committed by settlers in the new world and because of the distance the documents had to
travel. Great distance make difficult to coordinate intentions and performances. The formal author was in Europe and had
not to endure what settlers had to endure. There were conflicts between the natives and settlers but also between settlers
themselves.
The narratives of witness: we have some transgressive voices that denouncer and criticize the
European exploration. They rise against the bad practice of colonization. The main voice is
Bartolomé de las Casas. He is going to destroy the American dream with his critical eye, he has
to convince Charles the V of stopping the colonization. He was accused of treason in Spain
because of the consequence of his denounce: the protestant world against the Catholics. The
translations of his writings will be used by the Protestants enemies of Spain to criticize what
Spaniards were doing in America.