Watch this History of American Literature video entitled The Birth of a National Literature to study the significance of American themes and settings in early American novels. Learn about colonial and early American writers, including Washington Irving, the first American author to have his works received with critical acclaim abroad.
Use this online K12 History of American Literature video to study and explore how the proverbs of "Poor Richard" Saunders, the fictional lore of Natty Bumpo, and the eloquence of the Declaration of Independence sparked the imagination and inspired a national vision of vast frontiers and a promising destiny.