John Smith

An item at American Writers Museum

In Generall Historie of Virginia, New-England, and the Summer Isles (1624) British soldier John Smith promoted colonization of America, drawing on his own experiences leading the Jamestown Colony of Virginia. Smith's text provided English readers with tantalizing descriptions of the new land, claiming that "heaven and earth never agreed better to frame a place for man's habitation."

Yet Smith also cautioned that settlement came with challenges. He stressed that success could only be achieved through hard work-an early, literary version of the "American Dream." Smith described himself as the embodiment of this dream.

AMERICAN VOICES

An exhibit at American Writers Museum

American writing is distinctive, diverse, and comes in many forms from across the nation. The 100 authors featured here represent the evolution of American writing. Learn more about each writer on the timeline by turning the panels below their portraits. Explore centuries of writing by pulling, turning, and touching the interactive elements on the counter.

This is not meant to be a list of the greatest or most influential writers. Instead, we present authors and works as part of the American story as it grows and changes. Taken together, this rich literary heritage reflects America in all of its complexity: its energy, hope, conflict, disillusionment, and creativity.

American Writers Museum