In Review: American Literature Series - Providence

One of the themes that came up in week one in my American Literature class is providence. Now, after having just read Ishmael (see my review of this novel from August), this is a particularly fitting theme. Providence is that feeling that you are destined for something: indeed the term "Manifest Destiny" was used during Westward Expansion. Though I find colonial literature dry, I have always been interested in the 1800's, expansion era, particularly after the Louisiana Purchase in 1806 (I am a huge Little House on the Prairie fan).

But the notion of providence goes much deeper and much further back. The first settlers saw the settlement and "taming" of this land as something that their Christian God had intended for them. So, I am going to go out on a limb and say that providence, much like everything in this world, has both benefits and drawbacks. I clearly remember that was essentially the main objective of my month-long unit when I student-taught grade 5 - "The changes that came with Westward Expansion benefited many, harmed others, and changed the nation." So too did earlier notions of providence.

So, why the good and the bad? Well, historically, the negatives that come from the notion of providence includes the disenfranchisement of many folks. Seeing Native Americans as savages, converting them, and eventually wiping out as many as they could, and the subjugation of Africans are among the more well known atrocities that have come from one group of people thinking their way is the right way, the only way. With that attitude comes an assumption that others must be punished.

Since my area of specialization is Women's Literature, I will be focusing on the way women's ideas about their American identities have changed over time. From the beginning of Anne Bradstreet, we see that providence was something that was questioned from the moment Europeans stepped on American soil.

The positivity that lies in the concept of providence, however, is that this has empowered many individuals. You see, there have always been folks like Frederick Douglass who believed that he was destined for more than that which the circumstances of his birth delivered - but, note the difference here - did not feel the need to oppress others in order to attain the providence he was so sure of. Who is more powerful, the person who can arrive at their destiny without displacing others, or those that need to lower others in order to climb to such an ascension. Both types of folks make up our history, as well as our current reality. Choose wisely, my fellow Americans. Choose wisely.

~ Peace and Love, Tracey

© Tracey Love, 2015. All rights reserved.