Group Discussion Prompt: You have now read a range of texts spanning roughly 150 years-the period stretching from the settlement of

Plymouth Colony to the first decades of America's nationhood. How do

the literary voices of the Puritan settlers and their descendants differ

from the voices of the Revolutionary Period? In what ways are they

similar? As you respond, consider the writers' values, beliefs, and

concerns, as well as the historical events that shaped their lives.