The Renaissance has a profound influence on the course of the development of Modern America's society, culture and expression. The Renaissance had a major impact and influence in America by turning away from ideals by the church. Religion was a major influence throughout of period of time, but poetry and freedom of speech in writing were a bigger influence.
Before the Renaissance, writers generally tended to focus on issues of a religious nature. Countless texts instructed readers about how to live a pious life and discussed Christian heroes. The Renaissance brought about influence to new writers who sought to break with this tradition and present a more realistic version of life.
Several authors from the Renaissance period had a significant effect on contemporary American society, especially in terms of either literary style and meaning as well as political thought. By introducing a new realism, they allowed the common person to enjoy tales and this tradition has continued in today’s society. (Smith, 2010). Harriett Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin, encouraged everyday people to address such controversial topics as slavery, religious reform, and gender roles (Harriet Beecher Stowe's Life, 2011). Emily Dickinson is another woman who is renowned for her poetic writings during the period, although they were not published until after her death. “Her work was heavily influenced by the Metaphysical poets of seventeenth-century England, as well as her reading of the Book of Revelation and her upbringing in a Puritan New England town which encouraged a Calvinist, orthodox, and conservative approach to Christianity” (Swenson, 2011). Yet another female writer of the American Renaissance who made her mark on society was Louise May Alcott. She was determined to make a difference somehow for her poor family, and for our country, and she accomplished both before her death. She became “A beloved American novelist best known for her classic work Little Women, which she wrote in 1868. Her revolutionary views on womanhood and equality of people helped to move a nation forward in the idea that all people are created equal by God, male or female, black or white” (New World, 2011)
