Undergrads Literature

In this episode, I debate Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence of 1776. Jefferson was the 3rd president of the US (1801-1809)and the declaration corroborates the US sovereignty over its own land under 3 inalienable rights: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

This is episode 5 on J. Hector St. John de Crèvecouer's "What is an American". In his letter, Crèvecoeur defines Americans as an all-nation (European) people as well as discusses the class divisions based on (1) those living by the sea; (2)those living in the woods; and (3)those middle settlers, living between the sea and the woods.

This episode debates the famous sermon "A Model of Christian Charity" John Winthrop delivers in 1630, probably onboard of the Arbella. Winthrop believed that his Puritan community could become an example for the whole world - a "city upon a hill" - a example of a Christian group who, by keeping themselves together as one, could be able to succeed their New England settlement. 

John Smith's A Description of New England (1616) is essentially a praise piece of writing in which Smith wants to persuade citizens to sail to the newly-invaded lands of the "New World" in order to colonize them. 

This is an opening episode on American Culture. It's ideally addressed to English Language-Literature undergrads. In this episode, I discuss the terms "culture", "American" and what it means to say "American Culture". By the end of the episode, "American Dream" also becomes a topic.

References:

ADAMS, James Truslow. The Epic of America. Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1931.

BAYM, Nina (general editor); LEVINE, Robert S (associate general editor). The Norton Anthology of American Literature volume C. 8th edition. New York/London: W.W. Norton & Company, 2012.

https://wwnorton.com/search/bm9ydG9uIGFudGhvbG9neSBhbWVyaWNhbiA=

CREVECOEUR, J. Hector St. John de. "What is an American". In: Letters From an American Farmer. First published in 1782.

CULLEN, Jim. The American Dream: a short history of an idea that shaped a nation. New York: Oxford University Press, 2003.

JEFFERSON, Thomas. The Declaration of Independence, 1776.

WILLIAMS, Raymond. Keywords: a vocabulary of culture and society. New York: Oxford University Press, 1983.

Movie: The Pursuit of Happyness (2006): Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMOBlEcRuw8&t=2s