Religious conviction and scholarship are the key elements that set New England apart from the rest of the country and formed a lasting imprint on American Literature. Puritan colonist came to New England seeking religious freedom.  Early New England writings were primarily religious sermons; those most notable by Increase Mather (1639-1723) and his son Cotton Mather (1663-1728). The Puritans were a frugal, hard working, serious people with strong morals and family values. Education was held in high regard for the Puritans believed that knowledge was the means to religious enlightenment. As a result, our nation’s first college at Harvard was established so that young men could advance in the ministry. Yale, Brown, Dartmouth, Amherst, Bowdoin, Tufts, and Williams would all follow in Harvard’s tradition. Meanwhile, New England’s strong social connections with England and in other countries abroad was a pivotal influence that encouraged new ideas and cultural developments among the colonist. Slowly the gloom and oppression of the Puritan lifestyle began to soften and dissolve as a new people, under a new nation evolved. By the end of the 1800’s the New England colleges and universities had developed into an educational consortium of free thinkers thirsty for knowledge and growth.  Famous New England authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorn, and the Alcott family, gave voice to thought and inadvertently became part of a historical and legendary literary circle in Concord, Massachusetts. Today, tourist and literary buffs come from all over to visit their graves at Author’s Ridge in the Sleepy Hallow Cemetery. It was during this period in the 19^th century that New England’s greatest philosophers, poets, and writers emerged.

Written By : Jessica Layne

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