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The atmosphere of which a writer adapts to affects his/her works.   The

writer's environment, and the churnings of history that feed the writer,

gives him the material whereby he can construct, and create in.   History, in

this instance the colonization of the American continent, dictates what and

how he is to write. Authors such as John Smith, William Bradford, and St.

Jean de Crevecoeur are all examples of this.   The atmosphere or society these

authors were in directly affected the attitude, tone, genre, etc. of their

works.   This can be shown both by facts in history and their actual writings

of that period.

During the 17th century Pilgrims, which were a group of Separatist Puritans,

disliked being in England and wanted to go to America for the right to

practice their religion freely (and in 1620 they received a patent from

Virginia which allowed them to settle in New England aboard the Mayflower).  

In 1606, King James I granted a charter authorizing overlapping grants of

land in Virginia to two separate joint-stock companies, one based in London

and the other in Plymouth.   Captain John Smith planned to conquer New

England's "goodly, strong, and well-proportioned (Indian) people" and

establish an English colony there.   He then led the Virginia Company of

London to successfully establishing the colony.   His work The General History

of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles told about his colonization

process and explorations, as he described America as a utopian society.

As mentioned in his work, Smith maintained satisfactory relations with the

Indians, as shown by his letter to Queen Anne when he says "That some ten

years ago being in Virginia, and taken prisoner by the power of Powhatan

their chief King, I received from this great savage exceeding great courtesy,

especially from his son Nantaquaus. .   . .And his sister Pocahontas, the

King's most dear and...