1. Historical Background s Politics dominated the revolutionary phase of American writing .o The crisis in American life carried by the Revolution made artists self-conscious about American subjects o The spiritual life in the colonies during that period was molded by the bourgeois Enlightenment 20212212021/2/21 2 1. Historical Background ❖ Politics dominated the revolutionary phase of American writing. ❖ The crisis in American life carried by the Revolution made artists self-conscious about American subjects. ❖ The spiritual life in the colonies during that period was molded by the bourgeois Enlightenment