“Books are bearers of civilization” (ThinkExist, 2010, par. 1). The first part of a Barbara W. Tuchman quote couldn't be more true. This is why students study classic American novels to learn about the time period. Many authors plan to write for the future, while others write just for fun. They use literary techniques popular in that time period, making it obvious when the pieces were written. With the story you also get the feeling of the writer that only the novel can give you. The result of this is a great fusion of literature and history, and has its roots all the way back to the beginning of America. America began in 1607 with the colonial settlement Jamestown, founded by John Smith. Further north, Puritans settled in the New England area, survived the first winter, and befriended the Indians. They later celebrated the First Thanksgiving with the Indians, beginning their friendship (Campbell, 2007, Pre – 1650, par. 14). More and more Puritans immigrated to the Massachusetts Bay Colony around 1630 seeking religious freedom. From 1636 to 1637, tension increased between the Indians and the settlers, which caused the Pequot War (Campbell, 2007, Pre – 1650s, par. 18). Americans prevailed by uniting to defeat a common threat. The Puritans encountered a new enemy: the Quakers. The Puritans detested them and harmed them in many ways. But everything stopped when Parliament ordered it. Another Indian War came into play from 1675 to 1678, King Philip's War. This occurred because the Pilgrims executed three Wampanoag Indians (Campbell, 2007, 1650, par. 11). Events in colonial America calmed down until 1692. When killing Indians wasn't enough, colonists began killing each other. The Salem With Trials be...... middle of paper ......atch out of the whale also represents time or life taken from someone. Melville uses these literary elements to explain how dependent people were on whale oil and how corrupt religion can be. “Without books, history is silent, literature is silent, science is paralyzed, thought and speculation are at a standstill” (ThinkExist, 2010, par. 1). ). This concludes Tuchman's quote by showing the importance of literature to history. We will not do justice to future generations by stopping writing books. These things work in tandem and cannot be replaced by any other. All of the examples mentioned above show great examples that will educate our children about the past for centuries to come. Not only will you discover the hard facts about the time period, but you will also experience their side of the story and the emotions attached to it. Therefore, literature perfectly reflects history.