Ten most important or influential people are John Smith, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine, Fredrick Douglas, Edgar Allan Poe, Washington Irving, Hennery Schoolcraft, Noah Webster, Jonathan Edwards , sheet by Anne Brad These are all important and influential people during the colonial and romantic periods. as later in the future as the story will still be told. Why these ten matter and how what they did came to light later in life. During the period of exploration, i.e. 1776, much of the Native American literature was lost. Many tribes contracted diseases brought from North America by Europeans. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Captain John Smith (1580-1631) wrote the first American book entitled A True Relation. He had also written a book about how Pocahontas, the local chief's daughter, saved his life from the "savages". however many thought he exaggerated in the book. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) had the first printing press in Cambridge Mass. 1638. Between 1640 and 1799, 36,000 different books were published. began in Boston in 1655 and required the payment of an annual fee. Thomas Pain was the primary author of the Declaration of Independence and also the Common Sense pamphlet. Which we still learn about today in school and how the pamphlets influenced America to become independent. Fredrick Douglas (1817-1895) He was a slave who wrote books. Fredrick was one of the slaves who was taught to read and write during the Revolutionary period. Edgar Allan Poe was one of the Gothic writers of the Romantic period. He had written about strange supernatural stories. Which is still taught in literature courses to this day. Washington Irving (1783-1859) was known for the best short stories. He was also the author of Sleepy Hollow and RIP Van Winkle, very famous stories. It has influenced many books of short literature. He had died on November 28, 1859. Hennery Schoolcraft (1793-1864) had written of his exploration along the Mississippi River that had helped him along the path to travel back in time. He had also written about the plight, perspectives, and beliefs of many Native American Indian tribes. This helped the people of the time to learn more about the native "savages". Noah Webster (1758-1843) He had decided to write a dictionary on English words and the meanings of words. This was called the American Dictionary of American Language was created in 1828. It is important because that book has been passed down through many generations. Jonathan Edwards was important because he was the greatest Puritan preacher and, the ologist, wrote an essay in defense of his teachings and his list of leading traditions of the religious revival movement in The Great Awakening. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a custom essay Anne Brad was a poet She wrote a poet about love for God, her husband, and family. His most famous is The Tenth Muse which recently appeared in America. It is important because it occurred during the period of exploration which was then colonial and led to the Romantic period. These women and men are all important in different times because they are all writers. They had started many things such as books and important documents and all this led to one last great thing. The most important thing is American literature and books and becoming independent.