The following are the questions we discussed in class following our reading of writers from the time of the American Revolution::

1. How would you compare the style of Franklin's writing to that of the Puritans we have read? Use some examples to support your ideas.
2. How would you compare the ideas of Franklin's writing to those of the works we have read earlier in the class?
3. Use examples from De Crevecoeur to answer his question, "What Is An American?"
4. Do you see any similarities in Franklin's "Information to Those Who Would Remove to America" and De Crevecoeur's "What Is An American"?
5. Summarize the main arguments Paine uses in Common Sense. Do these arguments seem logical to you?
6. Why do you think the committee appointed to prepare the Declaration of Independence and then the Convention wanted to (and in fact did) delete from the Declaration the indictment of the English people and the clause prohibiting slavery?

For Wednesday:

One critic commented that the time of the revolution in America was not a time for art but for politics. With this idea in mind, critique today's and Wednesday's readings.

Last Updated 01/29/02