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Main currents in American thought An interpretation of American literature from the beginnings to 1920

Vernon Louis Parrington

There are numerous lives. See J. C. Hamilton, _The Life of Alexander Hamilton_ (2 vols., New York, 1834). H. C. Lodge, _Alexander Hamilton_ (Boston, 1882, 1898). J. T. Morse, _The Life of Alexander Hamilton_ (2 vols., Boston, 1876). See also Gertrude Atherton, _The Conqueror_ (New York and London, 1902). A. H. Vanderberg, _The Greatest American, Alexander Hamilton ... with a Symposium of Opinions by Distinguished Americans_ (New York and London, 1922). F. S. Oliver, _Alexander Hamilton: An Essay on the American Union_ (New York, 1907)--an English view. John Adams: _Works ... with a Life of the Author_, edited by C. F. Adams (10 vols., Boston, 1850-56). See J. Q. Adams and C. F. Adams, _The Life of John Adams_ (2 vols., Philadelphia, 1871). J. T. Morse, Jr., _John Adams_ (Boston, 1884, 1898). _Letters of Mrs. Adams, the Wife of John Adams_, edited by C. F. Adams (2 vols., Boston, 1840). C. M. Walsh, _The Political Science of John Adams_ (New York, 1915). Book III: Part II I. The Impact of the French Revolution: Abundant material will be found in Charles D. Hazen, _Contemporary American Opinion of the French Revolution_ (Baltimore, 1897, _Johns Hopkins Studies in Hist. and Pol. Science_, Extra Vol. 16). See also _The Journal of William Maclay_, edited by E. S. Maclay (New York, 1890). For _Publicola_, see John Q. Adams, _Writings ..._, edited by Worthington C. Ford (7 vols., New York, 1913-17). II. Tom Paine: _Writings ..._, edited by Moncure D. Conway (4 vols., New York, 1894-99). Moncure D. Conway, _Life of Thomas Paine ... To which is added a Sketch of Paine by William Cobbett ..._ (2 vols., New York and London, 1892). Thomas Jefferson: _Writings_, edited by H. A. Washington (9 vols., Washington, 1853-54). _The Works of Thomas Jefferson_ (with _Anas_ and _Autobiography_), edited by P. L. Ford (12 vols., New York, 1904-05). Numerous lives, many of which are wholly unreliable. The official biography was written by Henry S. Randall, _The Life of Thomas Jefferson_ (3 vols., Philadelphia, 1858, 1871). Of later studies the following are excellent: David S. Muzzey, _Thomas Jefferson_ (New York, 1919); Francis W. Hirst, _Life and Letters of Thomas Jefferson_ (New York, 1926)--an English view; and Albert Jay Nock, _Jefferson_ (New York, 1926). See also Sarah N. Randolph, _The Domestic Life of Thomas Jefferson_ (New York, 1871) and Thomas E. Watson, _The Life and Times of Thomas Jefferson_ (New York, 1903). III. The Federalist Group: For backgrounds of the Hartford wits, see Richard J. Purcell, _Connecticut in Transition: 1775-1818_ (Washington, 1918). William A. Robinson, _Jeffersonian Democracy in New England_ (New Haven, 1916). Samuel E. Morison, _Life and Letters of Harrison Gray Otis_ (2 vols., Boston, 1913). For criticism, see F. Sheldon, “Pleiades of Connecticut” (_Atlantic Monthly_, Vol. XV). Mrs. Annie R. Marble, _Heralds of American Literature_ (Chicago, 1907). Moses Coit Tyler, _Three Men of Letters_ (New York, 1895)--Dwight and Barlow. The writings of the Wits have long been out of print. The most available text is _The Connecticut Wits_, edited with introduction and bibliographies, by Vernon L. Parrington (New York, 1926, American Authors Series), which reprints large portions of Trumbull, Timothy Dwight, Barlow, Humphreys, _The Anarchiad_, and portions of _The Echo_. Timothy Dwight: The most important titles are _The Conquest of Canaan ..._ (Hartford, 1785). _The Triumph of Infidelity ..._ (1788). _Greenfield Hill ..._ (1794). _Travels in New England and New York: 1796-1815_ (4 vols., New Haven, 1821-22; London, 1823). See W. B. Sprague, _Life of Timothy Dwight_ (Sparks _Lib. Amer. Biog._, Second Series, Vol. IV, Boston, 1845). The French Group: Philip Freneau: _Poems_, edited for the Princeton Hist. Assoc. by Fred L. Pattee (3 vols., Princeton, 1902-07). Victor H. Paltsits, _A Bibliography of the Separate and Collected Works of Philip Freneau, together with an Account of his Newspapers_ (New York, 1903). Mary S. Austin, _Philip Freneau, Poet of the Revolution_ (New York, 1901). S. E. Forman, _The Political Activities of Philip Freneau_ (Baltimore, 1902, _Johns Hopkins Studies in Hist. and Pol. Science_, Series XX, No. 9-10). Mrs. Annie R. Marble, _Heralds of American Literature_ (Chicago, 1907). Joel Barlow: His works are out of print, but portions will be found in _The Connecticut Wits_ (New York, 1926). The important titles are: _The Vision of Columbus ..._ (Hartford, 1787; London, 1787). _A Letter to the National Convention of France ..._ (London, 1792). _Advice to the Privileged Orders in the Several States of Europe ..._ (London, 1792, 1796). _The Conspiracy of Kings ..._ (London, 1792). _The Hasty Pudding ..._ (New York, 1796; Salem, 1799; Stockbridge, 1799). _The Columbiad_ (Philadelphia, 1807; London, 1809). Charles Burr Todd, _Life and Letters of Joel Barlow_ (New York, 1886). See also Tyler, _Three Men of Letters_ (New York, 1895), and Marble, _Heralds of American Literature_ (Chicago, 1907). Hugh Henry Brackenridge: _Modern Chivalry: Containing the Adventures of Captain John Farrago, and Teague O’Regan, his servant ..._ (2 vols., Philadelphia, 1792; Vol. 3, Pittsburgh, 1793; Vol. 4, Philadelphia, 1797). These four volumes constitute Part I. Part II was issued in two volumes, Philadelphia, 1804-05. Many revisions and changes of the text followed. The complete work was issued in four volumes (Philadelphia, 1815), the fourth volume containing new material. Another complete edition was issued in two volumes (Pittsburgh, 1819). For detailed information see _Cambridge History of American Literature_ (Vol. I, p. 526). An account of Brackenridge and in particular of his experience during the Whiskey Rebellion, in a memoir by H. M. Brackenridge, prefaces the edition of 1846 and later editions. No life of Brackenridge has been written. His fugitive writings in verse, drama, and prose are numerous but inaccessible. Some comment on Brackenridge is given in Henry Adams, _Life of Albert Gallatin_ (Philadelphia, 1879). Index [Volume One] Adams, James Truslow, 20 n, 30 n, 36 n, 58 n, 87 n, 103 n ----, John, 179, 188, 190, 200 n, 205, 207, 208, 213, 222, 241, 247, 249, 253, 259, 292, 296, 299, 307-320, 323, 324, 328, 340, 368, 375, 384 ----, John Quincy, 283, 324, 325-326 ----, R. G., 310 n ----, Samuel, 123, 181, 196, 200, 206, 228, 233-247, 311, 322, 344, 348, 372 ----, Samuel, Sr., 234 _Address and Declaration of the Friends of Universal Peace and Liberty_, 339 n _Address to the Inhabitants of Quebec_, 219 _Advice to the Privileged Orders in the Several States of Europe_, 324, 383, 384-386, 386 n _Age of Reason, The_, 324, 341 _Agrarian Justice_, 337-339, 385 Allen, V. G., 154, 157 n, 160 n Alsop, Richard, 359, 360 Alvord, C. W., 184 n _American Belisarius, The_, 147, 147 n _American Historical Review, The_, 136 n _American Political Theories_, 280 n _American Soldier, The_, 375 n _American Times, The_, 257-259 _American Weekly Mercury, The_, 134 Ames, Fisher, 360 _Anarchiad, The_, 249, 363-367 André, Major John, 256 Andros, Sir Edmund, 118 Anne, Queen, 87, 166 _Answer of Bernard to the Petition of the House of Representatives to the King_, 199 n, 204 n _Apology for the Bible, An_, 324, 337 n _Arbitrary Government Described: & the Government of the Massachusetts Vindicated from that Aspersion_, 44 Aristotle, 213, 282, 284 Arnold, Benedict, 256 _Autobiography of John Adams_, 309 n _Autobiography of Thomas Jefferson_, 350 n Augustine, Saint, 68, 150 Austin, James Trecothick, 276 n Babeuf, François Noel, 337 _Babylonian Captivity, The_, 12 n Baillie, Joseph, 35 Ball, Captain John, 134 Bancroft, George, 247 Barlow, Joel, 324, 359, 360, 367, 368, 382-389, 391 Barré, Isaac, 183 Beard, Charles A., 184 n, 276 n, 287 n, 320 n Belcher, Mr., 113 Bentham, Jeremy, 285, 292, 296 Berkeley, Bishop, 162 Bernard, Governor, 198, 199, 200, 201, 204, 205, 216, 224, 242, 243, 244 Blackstone, Lord, 189, 236, 238, 244, 249, 280, 343, 352, 353 Blathwayt, Mr., 127 _Bloudy Tenent of Persecution for Cause of Conscience, The_, 68 n, 70 n, 71 n, 72 _Bloudy Tenent Yet more Bloody, The_, 68 n, 69 n, 71 n _Body of Liberties_, 21, 76, 80 Bolingbroke, Henry Saint John, Lord, 319 Borgeaud, Charles, 58 n _Boston Chronicle, The_, 379 _Boston Gazette, The_, 128 Boucher, Rev. Jonathan, 190, 194, 214-218 Bowres, Captain, 135 Brackenridge, Hugh Henry, 368, 369, 372, 390-395 Braddock, General Edward, 373 _Brook of the Valley, The_, 381 n Brooke, Lord, 34 Brooks, Noah, 277 n Browne, Robert, 59 Bunyan, John, 40, 85 Burke, Edmund, 69, 183, 324, 325, 334, 335, 375 Burnaby, Rev. Andrew, 276 n Byles, Rev. Mather, 128, 192, 248 Byrd, Colonel William, 138-140, 141 Cairns, William B., 391 n Calef, Robert, 108 Calhoun, John C., 320 Calvin, John, 9, 11, 12-15, 20, 23, 27, 30, 42, 76, 89, 100, 150, 159, 249 Camden, Charles Pratt, Earl of, 183, 189, 224, 238 Campbell, Thomas, 370 _Candidus_, 237, 239 n, 242 n, 243 n Canticles, 40, 65, 66 n, 154 Care, Henry, 119 n Carson, Hampton Lawrence, 284 n _Causes of the War of Independence, The_, 179 n, 182 n, 184 n, 188 n, 189 n, 203 n Channing, William Ellery, 62, 65, 105, 106 Charles I, King, 16, 19, 55, 76, 77, 84, 225 Chastellux, Marquis de, 250 _Chatterer, A_, 241 n, 243 n _Christian Commonwealth, The_, 81-84 Church, Dr., 118 n Churchill, Charles, 248, 249, 257, 363, 371 _Churches Quarrel Espoused, The_, 120, 122 n, 123 Cicero, 213, 317 Clark, Mr., 113 Clarke, Captain Jonathan, 134 Clymer, George, 221, 230, 252 Clinton, George, 285 ----, Sir Henry, 258, 259 Cogswell, Dr. Mason F., 359 Coke, Sir Edward, 44, 64, 89, 188, 222, 234, 236, 238, 239, 343, 352 Colbert, Jean Baptiste, 173 Colman, Rev. Benjamin, 109 _Colonial Merchants and the American Revolution, The_, 183 n, 379 n _Columbia University Contributions to Philosophy, Psychology and Education_, 155 n _Columbiad, The_, 384, 387-389 _Columbian Centinel, The_, 325 _Commentaries_ (Blackstone), 280 _Common Sense_, 329-332 Commons, John R., 134 n _Congratulation, The_, 257 _Connecticut in Transition: 1775-1818_, 384 n _Conquest of Canaan, The_, 362 _Considerations for J. W._, 39 _Considerations on the Propriety of Imposing Taxes in the British Colonies, for the Purpose of Raising Revenue by an Act of Parliament_, 226 n _Contemporary American Opinion of the French Revolution_, 321 n, 323 n Conway, Moncure D., 177 n, 336 n, 339 n Corinthians, Second Epistle to the, 66 n Cotton, Rev. John, vi, 19, 27-37, 38, 49, 51, 54, 55, 57, 60, 62, 63, 64, 72, 82, 99, 101, 361 _Cotton Mather, Puritan Priest_, 108 n, 114 n Coults, James, 134 Crèvecœur, Hector St. John de, 140-147 Cromwell, Oliver, 10, 29, 66, 82, 220 Crusoe, Robinson, 166 _Curiosa Americana_, 115 Cushing, Caleb, 249 Daingerfield, Colonel, 136 D’Alembert, Jean le Rond, 324 Dana, Judge, 276 Danforth, Mr., 93 Daniel, Book of, 66 n Davenport, Rev. John, 60 ----, Mr., 113 David, King, 31 Dean, John Ward, 80 n _Declaration of Rights of the Stamp Act Congress_, 219 _Decline and Fall of the English System of Finance, The_, 340