An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce

About the Author (Ambrose Bierce)

• Ambrose Bierce was a Civil War soldier, so he witnessed the harsh realities of war.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs

About the Author (Harriet Jacobs)

• Jacobs's Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl is one of the few slave narratives that are written from a female perspective.

The Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln

About the Author (Abraham Lincoln)

• Presided over the United States during the Civil War.
• Opposed slavery as "injustice and bad policy," but was not an abolitionist, even though he's the one who abolished slavery (preferred freeing slaves gradually).

Letter to His Son by Robert E. Lee

About the Author (Robert E. Lee)

• Robert E. Lee had a distinguished career in the U.S. Army, but when his home state of Virginia seceded (left the Union), he was forced to choose between his state and his nation.

The Fall of the House of Usher by Edgar Allan Poe

About the Author (Edgar Allan Poe)

• Called one of literature's "most brilliant, but erratic stars."
• The Raven is often named the best-known poem in American literature, and The Fall of the House of Usher is a masterpiece of gothic horror. These are two of Poe's creations.

I Hear America Singing / I, Too

I Hear America Singing by Walt Whitman

English Final Exam Review (Decemer 2018)

The World on the Turtle's Back

1. It is a creation myth by the Iroquois.
2. The Sky-Man and his pregnant wife often fought because of her demands. Because of these fights, some say she might not have fallen through the hole of Sky-World, but might've actually been pushed by her husband (it's not for sure).

The World on the Turtle's Back by the Iroquois

Background

• The U.S. Constitution and the founding charter of the United Nations are based on the Iroquois constitution: "The Great Binding Law."

The Declaration of Independence by Thomas Jefferson

About the Author

• Thomas Jefferson was an accomplished founding father, as he was active in the cause for independence, served as governor of Virginia during the Revolutionary War, and was the U.S. minister in France.

The Devil and Tom Walker by Washington Irving

About the Author

• Washington Irving, the author of The Devil and Tom Walker, was the first American writer to achieve an international reputation.

Speech in the Virginia Convention by Patrick Henry

About the Author

• Patrick Henry was known as "the Orator of Liberty" because of his speeches in support of American democracy.

Summary of Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God by Jonathan Edwards

About the Author

• Jonathan Edwards was a child prodigy born in Connecticut who entered what is now Yale University at age 12.

The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano by Olaudah Equiano

About the Author

• Olaudah Equiano was a soldier, sailor, and North Pole explorer who lived in the mid-late 1700s.

Summary of La Relación by Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca

Background

• Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca was a Spanish conquistador who survived a very disastrous expedition to America and became the first European to cross North America.