This course will explore traditions and intersections of American Indian, African American, Latinx, and other ethnic American literary writing from 鈥渄iscovery鈥� (contact) to settlement (the colonies) to nationhood (revolution) to near dissolution and tentative resolution (the Civil War). In this course, writings that are often treated as entries that 鈥渁ugment鈥� the 鈥渃anon鈥� will instead be understood as central to defining American literary history. Readings may include novels, poetry, speeches, oral narratives, autobiographies, and letters including such topics/titles as origin stories, Jamestown and Pocahontas, Spanish exploration,听The Female American,听齿颈肠辞迟茅苍肠补迟濒,听The Confessions of Nat Turner,听The Heroic Slave, and听Joaqu铆n Murieta. The semester will close with a discussion of Lin-Manuel Miranda鈥檚 recent Broadway smash听Hamilton.