Puritan writings show that religion was an important part of American literature. Puritans used the theme that God should be worshiped and they wrote about their religious foundations. They also stressed hard work in their writings. Most of the writings during this period were in the form of poems, letters, journals, biographies and memoirs.

Many of the Puritan works were written in poetry form. Anne Bradstreet’s poem, “The Burning of Our House,” shows religion or faith in the poem. She wrote: “There‘s wealth enough, I need no more, Farewell, my pelf, farewell, my store. The world no longer let me love, My hope and treasure lies above.”

Native Americans were an important part of early colonial American literature. They used stories