The same concept of literature discussed in Chapter I also applies to the literary production of the Revolutionary Period in the sense that the literary production of both periods cannot be taken as verbal art. Whereas the literature of the Colonial Period is essentially religious, the literature of the Revolutionary Period is politicaly minded.
In America the period which preceded the War of Independence was one of political turmoil. This in part was due to the new philosophical and scientific ideas of two men, Jean Jacques Rousseau and Isaac Newton.
Rousseau contended that man is instinctively good, which was quite against the Puritan creed which considered man naturally depraved. Newton and other contemporary scientists appealed to simple reason as a way of explaining natural phenomena. This is why this period is also referred to as The Age of Reason.
Under these circunstances, it is understandable that most of the literary production of the Revolutionary Period carry political and philosophical overtones. Many political writings can be considered as literary pieces, not excluding the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States itself.
Although prose still remained utilitarian in purpose, a new style appeared in which simple sentences and less latinate diction contributed to a more natural and scientific way of communicating.
By Marisis Aranha Camargo
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