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During the colonial period, literature was important for a few reasons. America was a new place, without much of its own history. Journals such as William Bradford's "The History of Plymouth Plantation," Sarah Kemble Knight's "Traveling in the New Land" and Cabeza de Vaca's " The Narrative of His Journey document the early history of these settlers. The three works were written about 100 years apart, and tell the journeys of three different people in three different …

…works talk about ordinary things: a natural disaster and the miracle of the Earth. However, in both cases, these ordinary occurrences are seen to be the works of God. This variety of literature from the colonial period shows that it came in many forms and had many purposes at the time. Most of this literature, however, dealt with new things; whether it be traveling in a new place, encountering new people, or writing new law.